There I was, standing at the bus stop,
waiting for the bus
like everyone else.
Headphones in.
Podcast on.
Eyes facing forward.
A pose that says : Do not Disturb.
But she ignored all of that & started talking to me.
At first I contemplated ignoring her. I figured if I was silent long enough, she'll get the memo.
But something about her countenance stopped me.
Was it the look in her eyes?
Her posture?
The "air" around her?
So I shut off my podcast.
Took of my headphones
And gave her my complete attention
The first sentence out of her mouth, once she realized i was fully paying attention to her was....
"I just got out of the women's jail in Boston".
The bewilder look on my face must have given me away .
She reached into her pocket and pulls out her jail paper work.
Yup, home girl just got released.
And that was the beginning of the most interesting conversation I have ever had as a bus stop.
Do you SEE* the people around you?
Everyone just wants to be SEEN*