Couple crossing the street

Courtesy Grant Hutchins

I thought you were my friends at first, sprinting across the street even though there was no traffic.  You were blurred through the screen across the window, somewhat invisible.

Now I'm not sure.  No one's knocking, the doorknobs aren't turning.

Maybe you're running next door, to some party.  Perhaps your friends are making you dinner.  They're not too well off, but they can make a mean barbecue, so you didn't hesitate to say "yes."  Usually the conversation with them is a bit bland, but today, with the coals slowly roasting specially marinated steaks and shishkabobs famous across town, talking comes easier than usual.

The guy was laid off last week from a job at a carpentry shop.  His girlfriend can't find work, and is going to school to finish her nursing degree.  They're doing all they can to hold onto the house.  He quit smoking.  She mows the lawn with a push mower.  They dry their clothes on a clothesline, and unplug everything.  Two squeaky bikes and a few ragged pairs of workboots and Chuck Taylors have replaced the Honda sitting in the driveway, for the most part.  Somehow they're still there.

-Money is tight, but the Lions are winning.-  he says with a laugh
- There is hope. -

You both look up.  Both of you notice that the sky still seems blue today, even though it's cloudy.