The key to everything

I park my car across from the coffee shop and pull my computer bag towards me.  With it on my arm and my pocketbook across my shoulder, I make my way to the safe side of the street.  I realize the curb challenges me and stop to steady myself, eyes downward, bags dangling, the chilly air surrounding me and the bright sun casting its rays through the gentle sky.

A figure appears at my left elbow and passes me as I hesitate.  The man turns, slightly, to his right, looking back at me.  He wears a short ski jacket, a stocking cap and sunglasses.  He’s backlit by the morning glow and I cannot see his face.  Fear flushes through  me, followed by the instinct to stagger backward.  But I’m halfway over the curb, fully aware that sudden moves will send me sprawling.

Then the man says, Are you all right, Miss? and the panic fades.  He stands, waiting, until I clear the step and steady  myself on the sidewalk.  I’m fine, I tell him, then he adds:  I hope I didn’t startle you.  I shake  my head.  I say, I saw you stopping to see if I was going to make it.

He smiles.  And in that smile, if only for an instant, I see the key to everything.  He turns away and continues down the street. I go inside, where I see a writer scribbling in her journal; a woman with rainbow hair cradling a cup in her two cold hands; and a student hammering away at a keyboard surrounded by books and pens, wearing an earnest look.  I think to myself, it’s going to be a good day. I order coffee.  Excellent beginning.

This is my niece, Chelsea Rae Booker.  When I think of smiles and the key to everything, her lovely face crowds my mind along with the faces of many in  my family-by-birth and the various branches of my family-by-choice.  I'm posting her picture here because she shines so brightly in this photo.

This is my niece, Chelsea Rae Booker. When I think of smiles and the key to everything, her lovely face crowds my mind along with the faces of many in my family-by-birth and the various branches of my family-by-choice. I’m posting her picture here because she shines so brightly in this photo. She holds a coffee mug which I’d just given her, the story of which awaits another day for telling.

 

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