This morning I saw a boy with blond hair sitting on his backpack. He was next to a covered garbage can on 7th avenue. Another bag rested next to the backpack. Kid must have been 10. His outfit was a jumble of day-glo colors. Above him was a weathered-looking man in shorts and a hooded sweatshirt. The guy could have been a fisherman. He leaned on the garbage can and smoked a cigarette.

I waited for the light to change and wondered what their story was. Then the man said, “There she is,” and dropped the cigarette to the ground even though it wasn’t half-way smoked. I looked back. A crowd of people exited the subway and were coming our way. A stumpy woman with peroxide blond hair and dark sunglasses emerged from the group. The boy ran to her and almost jumped into her arms. They embraced and then walked to the corner where the man handed her the boy’s bags. He then hugged the boy.

The man and the woman didn’t exchange a word. They did not look at each other. The boy left with his mother and the father disappeared into the crowd.

[Photo Via: iPhoneography NYC]