I glanced up from the bench I was seated upon, waiting on a cab that was called over twenty minutes ago. Thankfully, there was an enclosure surrounding the bench as I watched the rain streaming down. It was so heavy it sounded like hail hitting the roof of the enclosure.
The streets were empty of cars, aside from a small red sedan across the street from where I sat. The sidewalks has the occasional passerby running under a jacket or sweater pulled tautly over their heads.
What caught my eye was a man across the street leaving a tiny cafe. He was dressed to the nines; full suit and coat, tie and cuff links. He seemed out of place coming from the cute little mom and pop coffee shop.
He stopped in the doorway and although I couldn’t hear him, I could tell he was yelling and cursing. His arms were waving in the air and his face flushed beet red. Even from where I sat I could tell he was angry, but at what, or who. There wasn’t a soul around him and the only thing in sight was the little red car.
I noticed he kept gesturing towards the car. That’s when he noticed me watching him. He yelled in my direction but, unable to hear him, I stepped out of the enclosure. Cold rain beat down my face and back as I motioned a quick, “what?”
He yelled again, and still I couldn’t hear anything but a faint mumbling. I stepped further out towards the street and gestured again that I could not hear him. I took a step off the curb, eyes still trained on him hoping to make sense of what he was yelling. That’s when I heard him loud and clear.
“Watch out!”
The sounds of tires screeched and a horn screamed a warning before all went black.
May 8, 2019 - Vignette inspired by verbal visualization activity.
