Around The Corner

AROUND THE CORNER

By
B.D. Adams
© 2009


You never know what’s around the corner, until you go around. You can hope there is nothing bad waiting for you, or you can hope there is that opportunity “thing” you always hear about. You won’t know until you make that turn.

Cindy rounded her corner, smack-dabbed into the arms of a very old, stinky, bent-over man. She was afraid that she knocked him over because he stumbled back. He did seem to catch himself against the side of the building, so he did not fall.

“I am so sorry!” Cindy blurted out. She was trying to be sincere with her apology, but she was half gagging from the smell reeking from the man. She really didn’t want to touch him because she’d want to wash her hands ASAP … or, maybe even bathe. Oh, the odor!!

However, Cindy noticed that his clothes were nice and appeared clean. There were no bad worn places, or food stains that might be causing the odor. Maybe the smell was body odor. Maybe he was foreign, and didn’t bathe like Americans.

“It’s all right, dear. It’s all right,” the old man grumbled slightly. He pulled away from her and started rearranging his clothes.

“I’m not usually so careless. I was a little … well … I was thinking about my matters … and not watching where I was gong.” Cindy managed a small smile. Then, she began to realize that the smell was more like … a medicine smell. How curious.

The old man was smoothing back his full head of white hair and grooming his white goatee with his weathered fingers, as he asked, “Well, what were you thinking about so intently?” The old man gave a small grin, which caused his eyes to sparkle.

Cindy smiled more friendly, as she said, “Nothing, really.” She was feeling rather sheepish because she was now realizing that the stink wasn’t a stink at all. It was more like a man’s cologne … a unique cologne. She was embarrassed about her first thoughts of this nice old man.

The old man gave her a sincere look and said, ”Any thought is important and is always ‘something,’ even if it is there for only a moment.”

Cindy wrinkled her brow slightly, thinking about what he said.

“Ah … see,” he commented to her reaction. He was being jovial and thoughtful.

They both chuckled for a moment.

What a strange turn of events! Cindy thought she had bumped into a homeless, smelly bum!

But, in reality, she was getting a philosophy lesson from a dapper, old gentleman.

“Well, dear lady, just remember that there might be ‘someone’ coming around the corner. Someone you weren’t expecting.” The old man was grinning very pleasantly, as he turned to continue on his way.

“What did you say?” Cindy asked being taken aback. That was exactly what she had been thinking!

“I think you know,” he said kindly, as he walked briskly on and around the next corner.
Cindy stood at the corner where she had encountered the old man, continuing to mull over all that happened. She watched him as he rounded the other corner.

“Mister, wait a moment!” she yelled out impulsively. She walked quickly to catch him. “Watch it!” Cindy yelled because a little boy ran around the corner into her … almost knocking her down.

“Are you Cindy?” the little boy asked quickly.

“Yes,” Cindy answered in astonishment.

The little boy handed her a sealed white envelope, and then took off, skipping down the sidewalk. It looked like he was waving a twenty dollar bill.

The envelope had her name on it scrawled in someone’s handwriting. She tore it open. “My God!!” she called out quietly.

There were several ‘bills’ in the envelope! Several one thousand dollar bills!


You’ll never know what you might find around the next corner.