Peculiar

I hauled my legs one foot after the other in a deep stride to make it up the neverending hill around 5:45 pm on a friday afternoon in Texas.

The last bus departed at 5:27, but my journey back home had just begun. I stood outside, pits soked in perperation from the suns relentless pressure. In digust I climed aboard the bus that would take me at least a few blocks from where I needed to be. Little did I know the scope of what was ahead of me. As I got off at the closest stop, I knew I had at least a mile or so more to walk. I sighed. I stood at the light as people glazed pass me in their air conditioned vehicles. I felt the stare of the Mexicans as they watched the little black girl walk up the hill alone down a back alley. When I was nearing the railroad tracks, I began to feel the sun beat upon my back. Suddenly I became an object underneath a magnifying glass on a hot summer day. God's eyes watching me. I pulled out my newspaper. The light shined perfectly between the trees creating a lamp for my path. "Thank you Lord," I said. By this time I had made it through the dark alley way, and the hovering trees over the poorly paved street--'a scene from an old 60's movie' I thought. You know the ones. Where the poor black kids have to walk across the railroad tracks coming home from school. The hovering trees help create a southern scene much like Forrest Gump. Forrest ran down that country paved road, trees hovering over him and all. He broke those metal braces and set himself free.
I just kept walking. I'm about to cross the train tracks now. It's a mystery to me where that train goes, because I know the highway crosses as some point, but I can't quite see how it makes it through or if it just...ends. Now I'm half a mile away. I girl passes me in a white toyota-i think- but she did a double take and just looked at me like "what is that girl doing walking out here?". Good question. But i really didn't mind much. Serves me right. I think I take for granted sometimes the fact that I have a car, and this just helped me to appreciate it! Besides, the excercise did me wonders cause I compomised a deal with Golden Archie today with the fast food. I knew better. Subway was just across the street. Anyway, making my way up that last hill shaded by trees on my left, sun bathing me with glory on my right, a few cars flew pass me. But one white car with a beat-up bumber falling off the tail end and a person inside who I thought was a guy at first, stopped their car and put it in reverse.
"What the--" I said to myself.
When the vehicle finally made it back to me lo and behold it was who I would call 'the evil-eyed diva' a month ago. I wrote her off as someone with one of THE WORST attitudes on the face of the earth. Everytime I saw her she would give me a look that crossed a scowl with a raised brow, a look of "I'm better than you" or looking at me like I was just plain crazy. Panting and sweating from my hike up the dirty grey road I was suprised to see it was her in the beat up white car asking me for a ride. AND to my surprise she was not wearing her infamous curly wig my dad and brother would probably label "unbeweavable". She looked bald from far away, hence the one whome I thought was a guy, but when the car reversed back to me it clearly had bosoms, lol. 'I can't believe this', I thought. 'Not only is he car busted, and barely running, but this girl ain't wearing a weave?' (And we all know how black people are about that. You don't go out like that.) ...but she gave me a ride. "Thanks" I said.
And all that time I thought she looked 'down' on me, had problems with me, and just flat out didn't like me. But after today she reminded me that we all need a helping hand sometime no matter who you are. And never underestimate the kindness that someone could really have in their heart and perhaps show to you one day. I looked at her differently today as I also will tomorrow and from this point on everyone who loves to give others dirty looks.