By Andre Bergeron
Hiawatha Ave at 26th Street. Every day, he sits there slumped beneath the center island turn signal. The cardboard sign in his lap says it all: ‘Hard Times. Help. God Bless.’ Midday commuters, unmoved, stream by.
Idling, I summon him to my window. Offer him a twenty. His knurled hand seizes the crisp bill. Our gazes cross like searchlights in a prison yard; I can’t hold his. Drunkenly, he staggers away, stuffs the money in his coat pocket.
The light changes. “Sean, please come home.” No response, except from an SUV, blaring its horn to ‘move on.’ If only I could.
Poignant story with a more poignant surprise ending. Brilliant.
Thank you, Nicki.
they all have a family or a story. Great message and told so well.
Yes, they all do have a story, and often times no one to listen. Thanks for teh nice comment.
Hello Andre,
Agree totally with previous comments. Perfect!
Thank you.
Nicely done. Great payoff.
Thank you for the nice feedback
Unexpected ending. Nicely done.
Thank you Amanda. I enjoyed perusing your site as well. The article about friends, strangers, and the writing challenge is really intriguing.
Excellent economy of words to convey a life.
Thank you, Doug. I’ll be looking over your site, shortly. Appreciate the feedback.
Wow. It really grabs you at the end. Nice work.
Thank you, A.M. — I always try to explore contrasts and complexities in my characters or their situations. Things rarely present, fully, as they seem.
A long story in such a few words, but one that must resonate with many people who share a similar sadness. Well done.
I didn’t expect the twist. We’ve all looked past this guy counting the seconds until the light changed. This really makes one think…
Glad it connected with you. We all have stories. Some just never get the opportunity to write them as they’d prefer. I think of that whenever I see folks in these situations.
This is amazing. It made me do a double-take. Well done!
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Ooooh. I really like it. That last line!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Glad you liked it.
This short piece packed so much emotion! Excellent work.
You are the better one for helping. This will help you overcome.
Good story. Thanks!
I love the double meaning of “move on”