An elderly man was struggling with the door to one of the coolers at the grocery store.
He had his cane in one hand and an item in the other. He was trying to grab the handle with the left hand (the one holding the item) while keeping himself upright with the cane in right.
He got it about halfway open, but I saw he was struggling. I grabbed the door and held it open. “You’re okay,” I said. “I’ve got the door.”
He relaxed and he grabbed the item he wanted, a bottle of orange juice.
He moved to the side, got himself situated, and looked at me. I didn’t need anything from the case. I just nodded and smiled, and once he had moved out of the door’s way I closed it.
He wandered down the aisle. I tried to remember why I was even there.
We all need a hand sometimes.
The sun was angry yesterday evening.
It’s hazy. There’s a nasty odor in the air. My eyes hurt. My throat burns.
Angry sun.
A tyrant sun.