It was easier than she thought it would be. She simply shoved a hand into her jeans pocket, fished out a couple of coins, and smiled as she dropped them into the dirty palm of the bum. Brilliant. She felt so good, too. People should do this more often.
He looked up at her in a mixture of awe and gratitude. His eyes twinkled blue in dark, leathery skin, under so much grey hair.
“Thank you.” His voice was hoarse; he obviously hadn’t spoken in hours, if that. She shrugged.
“No problem,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes off of him. Yeah, it felt good, but she couldn’t look at him, couldn’t establish a connection, or he’d latch onto her like a lost puppy dog and follow her around. That is what they did, right? She didn’t really know for sure.
The subway car rumbled and shook, then slowed to a stop at the station. She stepped out - this was her stop - and kept her eyes straight ahead, clutching her bag tight. She maneuvered the turn stall, and just as she was halfway up the stairs, the hoarse voice spoke to her right.
“Not many people do that nowadays.”
Dammit. She craned her head toward the sound, confirming what she already knew to be true. He was loping alongside her, already considering her a reliable source of income. She didn’t respond to his statement at first, but she finally decided on a strategic comeback.
“Yeah, well, I don’t do that very often. I can’t afford to make it a habit. Just consider yourself lucky.”
They were at the top of the stairs now, and daylight had started to fade into night in the city. They looked up - and saw the bright comet hurtling toward the skyline. They stood frozen for a second, numb, uncomprehending. Then, the bum said,
“I’d consider myself even luckier if I had any time to spend it. But thanks anyway.”
