Stroke Someone

 

"Human beings pass me on the street, and I want to reach out and strum them as if they were guitars. Sometimes all humanity strikes me as lovely. I want to reach out and stroke someone, and say, "There, there, it's all right, honey, there, there, there."" -Sandra Cisneros

I'm in line at the supermarket. The man in front of me reeks of cigarettes and booze. My kids are being loud. One wants the ever tempting candy on his right, and the other is plain tired and wants nothing to do with shopping carts and waiting. I see the man's face cringe when my toddler starts to holler when I say no to the candy. His scolding face keeps facing forward, but I see him. I understand. The loud unrelenting cries of children and hangovers do not go well together. I know, it's a lesson I learned the hard way. It should bother me when he half heartily complaints to the cashier about the "music". I watch him pay for his orange juice, TV diner, and six pack of beer. I know nothing about him and I resist the temptation to speculate. I know I would just be looking for an excuse, an explanation, because instinctively I want to comfort him. He might have been drowning his sorrows or celebrating with alcohol, I don't know. This man who's annoyed with my children's cries, an is impatient to get out of here, runaway from all this noise, this man, I think more than anything he needs a little comfort. The smell of alcohol wafts towards me as he raises his arm to reach his money towards the cashier.  His face carries the damage of the sun, harsh lines, and splotchy skin. His eyes catch me by surprise. They are kind, warm, deep ocean blue eyes. He catches me looking at him, and says,
 "Looks like you could use a vacation too."
A smiles escapes me, as my mind lingers on the "too." I don't say anything else because I can't. He has strumed the right strings and linked us together. I don't know what he needs a vacation from, but we are one and the same for that moment. He grabs his bags and says,
"I hope you ladies have a great day."
Sometimes when we are quick to make judgement we miss out on the beauty of humanity.