(no subject)
"Excuse me, what are you doing?" The woman asked, a little worried.
She had every right to be, I was sitting on her stoop. I mean, I didn't pick it for any reason, it just looked nice to sit on. I guess that was my reason. It looked nice. It had a pale gray color and the railing was freshly coated with wet globs of jungle green. I like green. I didn't mean to do any harm, it just...
"...looks nice. These steps look very nice."
"I, I don't...what?" she said.
"I sat on your stoop because it looks nice. I'm, um, well I'm sorry if that's weird."
"That is weird. Quite weird, actually. But, thank you?"
"Oh you're welcome," I said back.
She was still looking at me. I could feel her half curious, half terrified stare in the back of my head as I put my chin back on my knees. That's fine, though. I mean, maybe she didn't realize that her stoop was so nice. Besides its new colors, it had some terrific flowers in two pots on either side of the top step. They were those little purple ones with black and yellow centers, you know? I really liked sitting there. There's new paint and flowers in bloom and the steps weren't too hot from the sun.
As I battled off in my onslaught of thinking, she sat on the bottom step. I must have been in a real daze. I didn't even notice that she sat right next to me. In fact, she was staring at me.
"That is weird too, you know." I said.
"...what?"
"Staring at me. You're staring at me and it's a little weird." I still just kept my chin on my knees and my eyes down.
"Oh. Oh my, I'm sorry." She blushed.
"Meh, don't be. Let's just say we're even now."
For the first time since I rest my head down, I looked over and gave a crooked smile. This seemed to calm her down a tad. The fear had gone away, but she still looked a little confused.
She crossed her arms on her lap and asked, "Why this one?" She looked around. "This stoop?"
I explained to her. The colors, the flowers, the warm but not hot seat. I told her she was lucky to have such a place.
"Luck?" She perked up some. "Ha! Luck shmuck, this stoop is a pain in the ass."
"No way, it's so serene right here though. It's so beautiful and almost flawless."
At this she laughed. She laughed quite hard actually.
"Do you know how much I worry about this thing? These railings, they just got painted. Yesterday they were Leaning Towers of rust. I thought a finch would knock them down if it landed too hard. The steps? Just sealed them last week. Look, you can still see the giant cracks where a piece fell off that middle one. And the flowers? I bought them this morning; 2 for 1 sale!"
Her laughed trailed off. I looked down at the middle step. It was true, there were large cracks in the edge of the step.
"So, this isn't nice then?"
"I worried so much that someone was going to kill themselves, I think I have gray hair." She stared to chuckle again.
"Well, that doesn't mean it isn't nice," I replied. "You think too much."
She stopped laughing. Her eyes got bigger and she opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She looked at me and I looked back. I smiled, she kept on looking at me. But then I noticed she wasn't exactly looking at me. Her eyes seemed to go past my face and were focused on the green railing still wet with paint behind me. Her eyes traced the railing up to the flowers. I could see the purple and yellow in her pupils. It complimented her green eyes. Then she stared right at her feet on the step. She adjusted her body, sort of, like the way you try to get comfortable in a chair. She just sat and looked down for a moment; chin on her knees and her arms still folded across her lap. Then she looked back at me.
"You know, that's kind of weird."
"I know, it's nice."
She had every right to be, I was sitting on her stoop. I mean, I didn't pick it for any reason, it just looked nice to sit on. I guess that was my reason. It looked nice. It had a pale gray color and the railing was freshly coated with wet globs of jungle green. I like green. I didn't mean to do any harm, it just...
"...looks nice. These steps look very nice."
"I, I don't...what?" she said.
"I sat on your stoop because it looks nice. I'm, um, well I'm sorry if that's weird."
"That is weird. Quite weird, actually. But, thank you?"
"Oh you're welcome," I said back.
She was still looking at me. I could feel her half curious, half terrified stare in the back of my head as I put my chin back on my knees. That's fine, though. I mean, maybe she didn't realize that her stoop was so nice. Besides its new colors, it had some terrific flowers in two pots on either side of the top step. They were those little purple ones with black and yellow centers, you know? I really liked sitting there. There's new paint and flowers in bloom and the steps weren't too hot from the sun.
As I battled off in my onslaught of thinking, she sat on the bottom step. I must have been in a real daze. I didn't even notice that she sat right next to me. In fact, she was staring at me.
"That is weird too, you know." I said.
"...what?"
"Staring at me. You're staring at me and it's a little weird." I still just kept my chin on my knees and my eyes down.
"Oh. Oh my, I'm sorry." She blushed.
"Meh, don't be. Let's just say we're even now."
For the first time since I rest my head down, I looked over and gave a crooked smile. This seemed to calm her down a tad. The fear had gone away, but she still looked a little confused.
She crossed her arms on her lap and asked, "Why this one?" She looked around. "This stoop?"
I explained to her. The colors, the flowers, the warm but not hot seat. I told her she was lucky to have such a place.
"Luck?" She perked up some. "Ha! Luck shmuck, this stoop is a pain in the ass."
"No way, it's so serene right here though. It's so beautiful and almost flawless."
At this she laughed. She laughed quite hard actually.
"Do you know how much I worry about this thing? These railings, they just got painted. Yesterday they were Leaning Towers of rust. I thought a finch would knock them down if it landed too hard. The steps? Just sealed them last week. Look, you can still see the giant cracks where a piece fell off that middle one. And the flowers? I bought them this morning; 2 for 1 sale!"
Her laughed trailed off. I looked down at the middle step. It was true, there were large cracks in the edge of the step.
"So, this isn't nice then?"
"I worried so much that someone was going to kill themselves, I think I have gray hair." She stared to chuckle again.
"Well, that doesn't mean it isn't nice," I replied. "You think too much."
She stopped laughing. Her eyes got bigger and she opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She looked at me and I looked back. I smiled, she kept on looking at me. But then I noticed she wasn't exactly looking at me. Her eyes seemed to go past my face and were focused on the green railing still wet with paint behind me. Her eyes traced the railing up to the flowers. I could see the purple and yellow in her pupils. It complimented her green eyes. Then she stared right at her feet on the step. She adjusted her body, sort of, like the way you try to get comfortable in a chair. She just sat and looked down for a moment; chin on her knees and her arms still folded across her lap. Then she looked back at me.
"You know, that's kind of weird."
"I know, it's nice."