Red Light

Another sketch, inspired by a moment. I'm actually writing a short story based on this little snapshot:

The light turns red, the cars slow down and stop, and Luis pulls himself from the curve and shuffles closer to the waiting cars, expertly maneuvering himself with his crutches. He has worked this corner for five years. He has been missing a leg even longer. Not spotting any of his “regulars”, Luis takes a look around. His interest is caught by a Hummer, bright yellow and obnoxious, shiny and aggressive, and he shuffles faster toward it.

Forgotten is his so-called job, entertaining the waiting drivers with some funny lines in exchange for a few pesos here and there. Luis can see his distorted reflection in the shiny exterior of the Hummer. He has never had a chance to talk to someone driving a Hummer and he wants to take advantage of the open window in the cool Fall afternoon. As he gets closer, there is a moment of peaceful silence, strange in the busy intersection, and Luis can hear the driver on his cell phone. He is surprised to learn the man’s name. “Yes, yes!” The man is practically shouting. “This is Luis calling! What?!!! Tell him I want no excuses this time!” The man’s voice is authoritative and condescending. After a pause, he continues, “I don’t care who he’s meeting with. He needs to solve my problem now!”

Luis waits a moment, still only able to glimpse the back of the man’s head, and sees him shake his head disgusted, throw the cell phone, and turn around. Their eyes meet and Luis, the entertainer, the man in the crutches, is rendered speechless by what he sees. There is a moment of confusion and he no longer knows what reality is. Is he standing outside or is he sitting in the Hummer?

The man in the Hummer looks him up and down dismissively; his thick, slightly flat
nose, a carbon copy of Luis’s own nose, twists as if identifying some distasteful smell. Luis offers him his smile, the one that gets most people talking to him, but the man in the Hummer, the man wearing the obviously expensive suit, mumbles, “Get a job!” assuming Luis is begging, and turns his gaze forward, creating that invisible wall Luis is used to.

And there they remain, frozen, the seconds ticking by: One Luis standing on the street, resting on his crutches, wearing ragged and slightly dirty clothes, taking advantage of the only profession available to a crippled uneducated man and the other Luis, well-dressed and wealthy, feeling like his poor version is an eyesore in his otherwise privileged life. The light changes, the Hummer moves forward without another glance from its driver, and Luis returns to the curve, to wait for the next change of light.

Copyright Karina Sang 2008