The rain came down from the clouds that blanketed the sky above Sharon as she stood on Third Avenue without an umbrella. She waited at the lights for the little green man.
The pulsating ‘beep’ of the pedestrian light continued as a small crowd gathered with their umbrellas, waiting on the street corner for the light to turn. The convergence gave her the necessary cover she needed to keep out of the rain, although most of the damage had been done.
‘Beep’
The deluge grew heavier, and all chatter amongst those waiting dissolved with the pounding water overhead. Sharon looked around to find a willing participant who would allow her the temporary coverage. These strangers, who had no connection other than their desire to cross the street and their proximity to one another, suddenly providing shelter.
“Thank you,” she said. The man smiled in reply, then looked away as he gripped his umbrella tightly. Eager to keep his distance despite the inability to do so.
‘Beep’.
The traffic progressed along the avenue and grew in volume, but there was no jam. The cars proceeded at a consistent speed. Not safe to navigate through on foot, too risky in the wet. The pedestrians would continue to wait until a sufficient and safe break was afforded to them.
‘Beep’.
The deluge grew heavier and was now accompanied by an icy wind that blew the droplets at an angle that hit the pedestrians vertically. They turned their faces away from the firing line, but it wasn’t enough to shield them from the downpour that had quickly turned into a sideways pour.
‘Beep’.
The umbrellas were useless and were not fit for angling due to the density that they had all stood amongst one another. Minutes had passed in this scenario, too many minutes. The lights should have changed by now. What was going on?
‘Beep.’
Sharon watched as those who provided her temporary shelter broke away from the arrangement and attempted to navigate the crossing of the street despite the obvious risks associated. They stepped out onto the road and watched as streams of vehicles honked at them for their obstruction. They showed no signs of slowing. The man who had given her a space inside his umbrella led the path of those taking the risk and leapt across lanes as his suit soaked to the skin and his pectoral muscles appeared in the material of his business shirt. An SUV was proceeding down the avenue, accelerating as it changed lanes into the empty one on the left where the man had just arrived, a metre away from the curb. A metre away from safety. The car accelerated to overtake another in the middle lane and mowed the man down to gain the tactical advantage. It was hard to gather the enormity of the impact with the heavy downpour; Sharon wondered if the driver was even aware of what they had done. The shock of the pedestrians who remained on the street corner made it so there was no ambiguity.
‘Beep’.
The man lay in a pool of the downpour in the centre of the far left lane. Any blood that resulted from his injuries was washed away. The downpour grew heavier again, if that was at all possible. It reminded Sharon of the waterfalls of Niagara, where she had ventured some years before, not being able to talk to her childhood sweetheart as they approached the rough impact due to the volume of the water pounding. The lights grew orange and the cars finally came to a slow down. A red light emanated from the corner, and the little green man kicked into a rhythmic, enthusiastic tone, encouraging all of them to make haste while the music was playing.
Sharon watched as the crowds who had witnessed the accident proceeded over to the man for assistance. She could not make out much of what they were providing him, the downpour was much too heavy. She wanted to help, but the crowd gathered was dense. Much more dense than those who stood at the street corner. Plus, the rain had made her sight useless.
“What could I possibly do for him?” she thought. She continued walking. She remembered her original destination. The food hall of the Western Mall. The giant underground court that showcased culinary delights from all corners of the world. Her stomach rumbled at the memory.
She ventured through puddles and leapt over potholes to get to the escalators down to the dry lands below.
She waited in line for the Chinese food and remembered the smile the man had given her as he provided a temporary shelter from the rain.
As she walked back into the sunlight that had emerged while she was on break, she made her way back to the avenue where the crowds had dissipated like the rain. The remains of the man had vanished. An ambulance had driven off moments before her arrival, and a police car remained where two officers were taking statements.
In the evening, she made her way in her damp clothes towards the metro station, mindful of the incident that had occurred, having been reminded of it only when confronted with the physical scene. She looked at her phone that rested in her pocket and scanned the pages of the news apps for any signs of the accident listed in the papers. She had a mild curiosity as to the fate of the man who made the journey to venture across the street in the rain.
‘Beep,’
She found nothing in the online editions and so placed the phone back in her pocket and continued to wait for her turn to cross the street.
‘Beep,’
The lights were particularly delayed. This had been a consistency from the early afternoon. She checked her watch. She had five minutes to make it to the metro. She knew the walk was at least seven minutes. She looked to her left and made the decision to venture across the road. Desire quashing any sense of safety. She watched from afar as the cars that were headed in her direction were at a safe distance that she could take the chance.
She put her foot off the curb and took the chance.
‘Beep.’