The Intersection
By Gigi
She looked both ways tapping the stick on the edge of the curb sort of like a warning to announce to whoever was waiting there that she was coming or was it going to cross the street. She knew that it was a four-way intersection. One time when she had been out with her guide dog, she had stopped at each corner of the intersection, found the post that held the octangular signs, and assured herself that she would have a safe time crossing. She then took the harness in hand and let the dog lead her across the street in perfect solitude.
She could hear the car engines revving impatiently, urging her to hurry on, but she was not going to do that because there were pitfalls along the way. She let the dog set their speed. They were a team. He would brush against her knee, his ribs a constant reminder that all was safe and sound, and they were on the straight and narrow. In the distance, she could hear the growing clack clack of what she had learned was a skateboard and its rider was approaching quite rapidly. In the middle of the intersection, she drew to a stop to give the rider an opportunity to pass. He passed on the left, at the same time giving her a wide berth to avoid the dog who had drawn up in front of her protectively.
“Forward,” she said softly once the skateboarder had passed and the dog resumed his leading until they came to the curb on the other side of the street and he gave a jerk to let her know to step up. She let out a soft sigh as she felt the sidewalk underneath her feet. It was always like that.
She hated intersections. It did not matter if they were small one-lane affairs, or those big six-lane behemoths that were found downtown. Every one of them scared her. Her senses were heightened each time she stepped into one. Her nerves were on edge. Every car engine shooting off another challenge, seeming to want to run her down, their drivers throttling them with their impatience.
Every time she navigated the street she would kneel next to her wonderful dog, give him a hug, and kiss and seal that bond between the two of them. The hard thumping of his tail and the return licks let her know that he shared that unbreakable partnership. It made the hell of crossing the street worth it.
But that was then, and this is now. Her stick tapped the asphalt road searching out any defects that would cause her to fall. No longer did she worry about the cars; they did not seem to matter anymore. They were there, their drivers chomping at the bit for her to complete her journey. Some would even honk their horns. They didn’t care, and she did not care for them. Every intersection was a reminder of what was. Every intersection caused her chest to tighten and a hard swallow to fill her throat. Tears formed in her eyes. She brushed them away angrily.
From there it was 110 steps, a right turn would take her to the path that led inside the small park. She had to step off the sidewalk to get on the gravel path and let that lead her under the gate. there she found a curb that framed the grounds. She followed it around counting the breaks. One, Two, Three. Ten more steps and then over the curb and into the grass. Her cane reached out until it came in contact with the stone marker. She sat down hard and slid next to the stone spreading her knees wide so that she could hug it. Her fingers ran over the engraved alphanumeric letters and then down to the corresponding braille below them. Her body shook with emotion as she gave into the sense of loss that she had to endure every day. Her sobs gave way to moans and those gave way to cries.
Time had no meaning as she sat there holding on to the stone and remembering her dear, sweet, Chester.
