There are moments in this life that make me so happy to be a
human being. There are moments when I make some sort of connection that may not
have been open to someone else, or taken by someone else. The privilege of one
these moments was given to me. Just me.
Yesterday it was beautiful outside so I sat in the sun
between my classes. Colorado is always good for sun. A well-groomed, but
ill-kept man came up to me, neatly dressed in a maroon windbreaker. It was
filthy and worn but not from wonted neglect. His dark, peppered hair was combed
neatly, and when he spoke, I noticed he lacked the essential dental care most
people with means adhere to. He walked up to me, and with a thick accent asked
me the time in broken English. So I told him and I showed him my phone screen.
12:18 pm. And he thanked me. He smiled. We stayed there a moment at a
respectful distance in each other’s company until he broke the silence. He
asked me if I was a student. I replied in the affirmative, he smiled. I
returned the question. He was not. He suddenly extended his hand and introduced
himself as Daniel and retreated to a safe distance, leaving the warmth of his
baby-butt soft hand in mine. He looked like he hadn’t had a soft day since he stepped
foot on the planet, and the arid climate of Colorado couldn’t have contributed
any moisture to his palms. They were a testimony to the pains he took to keep
himself dapper in the apparent face of hard luck. I asked him what he was doing
and he told me (in what forms of communication people employ when they lack all
of the necessary language) that he was about to go get some coffee at Starbucks.
Then he offered to share the cigarette he was smoking with me. I gratefully
declined to which he responded, “That’s better. Best.” So he complimented me on
my pants. And I thanked him. And he turned on his heels abruptly and walked
away. And in the midst of all of the things I could believe about Daniel, all
of the easy things to believe about Daniel, all of the jaded or cynical things
I could believe about Daniel, I believe that Daniel just needed the time and a
moment to feel human again. And in that
moment, Daniel made my day.
