"What will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence!" I turn around to face the blind man and he smiles up at me as if he knows I'm facing him. I'm wishing I hadn't tossed a few quarters into the small copper bowl beside him, but I stare at him expectantly.
"What did you just say to me?" He grins again, but he doesn't say anything. I try to twist up my face, to intimidate him in some kind of way, but you can't scare a blind man with the expressions on your face. So, reluctantly, I turn away, my neck hot with anger. I'll shroud him in silence, I think. But I think some more and I begin to wonder where his words are coming from. Did he know something about me? Was he a part of my past? What the hell is his problem? I'm still thinking intently when I reach the apartments.
I run up the first flight of stairs and jog into the hallway trying to shake my thoughts. Room numbers pass me in a blur. Room 200... Room 245... Room 266. I stop here and place my hand on the door, but when I blink I'm still seeing the blind man's grin mocking me.
I inhale and exhale a few times but he's stilll there grinning at me. Then he's pointing and laughing. Nearby I hear a record scratch, then "Everybody huuuuurts." A little girl cries on the street curb and her mother watches her in annoyance. My mother used to give me that same look...
When I blink again, I'm back at my front door, but I have to focus on the numbers to calm myself. I've gotta stretch! I fumble for my keys and unlock the door still spooked. Dropping my bag by the door, I run to my yoga mat like a security blanket and lay on my back. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. I stretch my arms above my head. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. "Great job Yonnie," I hear my mom say. Then I fall asleep with a grin on my face to match the old man's.
