A Walk in the Park
A Walk in the Park
The early summer heat brings everyone out. Central park is bustling. The
‘ice-cold-water-one-dollar” ladies have found shady spots to hawk their wares. Today I brought a dollar to tip the barista for an iced coffee I’ll buy with my phone on the way home, but I give it to the kid with a lemonade stand. He hands me a paper cup with bright yellow liquid, the color of toxic waste. There’s no ice and it’s cloyingly sweet. I discretely drop it in the trash where it will draw bees. I feel sorry for the folks on the bench next to it.
Some people say “hello,” or “how’r you doin’.” I respond and keep walking. The nerves in my neck and shoulder have been “pinched.” It feels more like knifed. My doctor is sympathetic but says it may last months. He’s emailed physical therapy instructions and a prescription for a painkiller that I will never take. I’ve alerted the neighborhood therapist and ordered an expensive pillow—from Amazon, not the loony pillow guy.
In the midst of runners, bicycle and scooter riders, a slower group advances. They make their way towards me, some with walking sticks. Aids push wheelchairs that contain the lame and limbless. I can’t grumble about the inconvenience of a
‘pinched’ nerve as I’m privileged to foresee restoration. We all smile at the proliferation of daffodils, yellow in a cheerful way that is not reminiscent of little boys hawking chemical malice.
On the way home, I purchase my ice coffee and add a tip electronically. It’s Mosque day, and people on the street are dressed in Friday best— women in brightly colored dress’ and matching head wraps, men in long shirts that are less colorful. Is this the end of Ramadan? The finale of grouchy day-workers? Or just another Friday in the long holiday?
In front of my building a neighbor, who is undoubtedly a good Christian woman, strolls leisurely. Even when she walks her dog, she is dressed elegantly. I mispronounce her name because sun and pain have zapped my brain. I’m definitely underdressed. We chat about teenage boys jumping from rooftop to rooftop.