usually the afflicted disabled handicapped attracted him

being the eldest of nine kids forced his handhe couldnt help being a big brother he excelled at it                                                                                                                              must have been a born caregiver

walking into the supermarket parking lot off main street he saw a person perched in a wheelchair beside a curbed island near the crosswalk which lead to the markets threshold

traffic slowed as it neared them

they did not roll forward

the hesitating cars then cautiously proceeded across the angled yellowpainted crosswalk

his first thought was they needed helpwere possibly waiting on their attendant it was odd to see them solo

                                                                                                                he quickened his pace needed to quell his and traffics apparent discomfort 

their cap barely showed above the back of the wheelchair from between the wheels he could see their feet turned awkwardly on the rests

more cars rolledup passed gibberishly  confounded

closing to within fifteen meterscontinually looking for someone who might be their aide he pulled upstep stammered  stopped an enormous plume of vapesmoke roiled into the air above them

                                                                             they began puffing like a little locomotive 

The Little Engine That Could

Whellshit God helps those who help themselves

                                                   Aesop mused alike in his fable Hercules and the Wagoner or Hercules and the Carter “Put your shoulder to the wheel . . . urge on your horses. Do you really think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining . . . ? Hercules really he spoke of himself in third person ill-eism ill-eist  Jesus will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself.”

from his deadstop he coursecorrected angled across the traffic lane passing to their left at two carwidths difference  she did not look well  worse with the vape pen stuck in her puss

from there he called loudly to her Maam are you in need of help

she heard him  

she feigned she didnt

he always kept his eyes on the belly button didnt fall for head fakes 

her belly button didnt answerdidnt say

she wasnt helping herself

he wouldnt either

that grated him

 

collected his items leaving the market  she was not there

had she smoked cigarettes butts would have verified her existence

                                                                      now absencegone he decided to believe his eyes despite their inconsistencies trickery

they would have had to work very hardOvertimeImaginatively to summons a gnarled gnome vaping in a wheelchair at a crosswalk

suntime,  Thursday,  9  6. 22

1119,  Monday,  13  6. 22