Reader on the Sidewalk
My local bookstore is just a couple blocks away from my day job. It’s moving in a couple of weeks, so soon to be a few more blocks away, but still in walking distance. I work downtown, so there are lots of local shops in a relatively small radius that I like to frequent on my breaks when I can.
The bookstore has a rolling shelf of free books that they put outside on nice days, and anyone can come take whatever they want off the cart. I’ve nabbed a few good books from there myself, and it seems like an excellent way to thin the non-selling stock and give to the community at the same time.
Our homeless population tends to mill around the downtown area, and one man in particular has stood out to me in recent months. He’s older and has a walker that doubles as his chair. I’d seen him around before, but the thing that caught my attention recently is that after our bookstore started putting out the cart of free books…I now rarely see him without a book in hand. He sits in the same spot day after day just a few shops down from the bookstore, smoking cigarettes and reading. Always reading.
He’s never really had that “listless” look about him that some homeless people have – he’s always struck me as someone who probably has some interesting tales to tell. And to see him devouring books so voraciously, spending his days just sitting there reading…I find myself envious in a way. Not that I’d ever willingly give up warmth or showers or a cozy couch, but if I did find myself with nearly nothing at some point in my life, I’d be happy to at least have access to books.
He does seem content, and when the bookstore moves, I hope he’s able to find his way to the new space for more books when he’s ready.
I often wonder what his story is, but rather than ask, I prefer to speculate. The inkling of an idea has sprouted in my mind, and every time I pass him, it grows just a tiny bit more.
I think he may be showing up in one of my stories (or maybe more) someday soon.
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