An umbrella

[pegkerr]

It was cold and pouring rain today when I drove to work. As often happens, someone was standing at the exit where I turn off the highway to head to the office. A man held up a sign, his shoulders hunched against the rain. I only caught a few words: "Family . . . homeless . . . baby due 12-8-06 . . . "

Baby due? Then I saw her, sitting on a piece of corrugated cardboard beside the man, her largely pregnant belly poking out off her zippered sweatshirt.

I quickly groped for my wallet, but as I thought, it was empty. I looked at the woman again, and I felt angry and sad on her behalf. Suddenly I had an idea. I grabbed for my large gym bag on the seat beside me and rolled the window down. "I don't have any money," I told the man, "but could you use an umbrella?"

The woman smiled. "Oh, please." So I handed it out the window to the man, and he immediately gave it to the woman. She had it up and over her head as I turned the corner.

The rain quickened, beating down on the car hard, and I was glad, fiercely glad, that I had given it to her.

I thought of her all day as the rain continued.

Comments

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am religious and I thought of that, and yes, the similarity to the Christmas story definitely did occur to me.