A Morning Walk

The morning was mild and pleasant. The children from the orphanage were playing out in the yard. Across the street a Church bell rung out the hour. Ten o’ clock. It was Sunday. The man looked over his shoulder down the street for oncoming traffic, but there were no cars anywhere to be seen. He crossed over to the other side of the street, and walked on down past the Church.

A fair distance on he came to a corner shop. The shop was old and dilapidated. It was a remnant of the first shops built in the area, now long since replaced by newer shopping malls in the town. Old hand-printed advertisements with tear-off strips of telephone numbers littered the window, which had a large painted ‘Coca-Cola’ sign. The red and white paint of the sign was old and fading.

The walls of the buildings were mostly of red or yellow face-brick in this older part of town. He walked down Thirteenth Avenue where the rows of old tenement buildings stood. A few people strolled in and out of the flats entrances, as he walked past. Then he came to the park where he sat a while on a bench and looked about him. He was alone out here at the moment, and there were no signs of other people in the park.

He took out a cigarette from his crumpled packet, straightened it with his fingers, and then put it to his lips and lit it. He sat and looked about him while he smoked. The soft wind buffeted his face and body gently. The sun was mild above. Occasionally a bird or two would fly overhead closeby, and he would watch as they flew on to their next perch. There were quite a few tall green trees spread-out over the park. The grass was fresh and green.

The man sat and smoked and looked over his surroundings. It was nice to be out here, he thought to himself, even though he was not in a good mood, per se.Far across the park on the open field, he spotted two small boys attempting to fly a kite. He sat and watched their antics absentmindedly while he finished his smoke. When he had finished it, he stubbed it out with the sole of his shoe on the ground. He sat a while longer and looked at the place. Then he got up and pulled his coat firmer around him, turning up his collar against the wind.

He walked on the path out to the street once more. Dogs barked at the gate of one of the houses as he passed. He walked back home around the block, occupied with his own thoughts as he stepped firmly on the pavement.