Ellis Jackson

Gideon was used to the midday rush. Another soulless handshake and wave. Another head nod and insincere smile in a herd of scowling faces and angry glares. Another stroll along the hard concrete through a strip of modest family-owned shops and stylish classic cars clustered on each side of the road. But on that day, when his meeting with Melissa was quickly approaching, not much else mattered. He'd waited so long to see way her, touch her, be with her. Just thinking about her made his neck hair bristle with anticipation. He made his way along Count Avenue, a breakfast croissant in one hand and a medium French vanilla coffee in the other. The coffee wasn't for him; it was Melissa's favorite, and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face, knowing she would be surprised that he'd remembered. Tiny details like that were always in the back of his mind. Finishing the last bite of his croissant, Gideon walked past a group of three young children, two boys and a girl, playing jacks on the sidewalk. A raggedy man with a filthy salt-and-pepper beard sat on a bench nearby, watching the children's speechless play. One of the boys, pig-nosed and chubby, tossed a red rubber ball and swiped three jacks off the sidewalk. His bloated hand shot out to catch the ball after a single bounce, but he fumbled and dropped it, causing it to stutter-bounce and roll until stopped by the raggedy man's foot. "Whoops," the raggedy man said, bending to pick up the ball in his shriveled hand. "Careful, young fella." The pig-nosed boy snorted and glared at the dirty outstretched hand. He reached for the ball cautiously, as if a single touch would infect him with some fatal disease. Eventually, in a single quick swipe, he plucked it from the raggedy man's palm and turned to face his playmates without saying a word. The other boy, a bit taller and flimsy, ripped the ball away and chucked it across the street, completely out of sight. The pig-nosed boy creased his brows but didn't argue. The girl in the group stepped between the two and directly in front of the raggedy man, crossing her arms and scrunching up her densely freckled face. "You stink," the freckled girl said coldly. "Gross!" She waved a hand back and forth across her face, a gesture that brought forth howling laughter from the two boys. Gideon froze. When had the city’s children become so disrespectful?