". . . as the crowd thinned out a bit, a woman in her mid fifties walked over. Her face was flushed and her hair was a tangle of tight curls. She looked hot and tired, maybe a little angry. She stopped a few steps away from me and said, "I walked two miles to get here."
Okay. She had my attention.
She dropped her voice a notch. "I walked because I don't have a car that runs. I don't have a car that runs because I don't have a job."
As we stood facing each other, she laid out her life in just a few sentences.
I have two master's degrees. I'm smart. I taught myself computer programming. I've been out of work for a year and a half. I've applied, I've volunteered, I've gone everywhere, but nothing.
She paused for a long time, then plunged back in. She explained that she had held one job or another since she was seventeen. She had put herself through school. She had always, always, always worked hard.
Then she stopped, took a step forward, and lowered her voice to a whisper, as if she didn't want to hear what she was about to say.
Now I don't know if I'm ever going to get a real job again.
I held out both hands and she took them. We stood there, not moving, just holding hands. I muttered something bland like "I'm so sorry," but she didn't give any sign of hearing me. She was well past the polite social conventions. She was hot, and she was exhausted-mind, body, and soul.
She focused again, looked me straight in the eye and said: I'm here because I'm running out of hope. I've read about you for a long time, and I'm here to see you in person, to tell you that I need you, and I want you to fight for me. I don't care how hard it gets, I want to know that you are going to fight.
I looked back at her and said, "Yes, I'll fight."
Hope
[©2012 Raymond M. Jozwiak from Ambience & Wine by Ray Jozwiak]
What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com
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