gap

I rode the bus in to work this morning, something that rarely happens these days.

On the corner of Broad Street closest to my house, right where I was waiting for the bus, a lady in a really shiny new Corolla was driving down the street with a flat tire.  She looked confused, but no more than any other well-coiffed, pressed-powdered, middle-aged lady who probably lives in Packer Park or somewhere down there (isn't it funny how you can pinpoint someone's neighborhood just by how they look and what they drive?) looks driving up Broad at eight o'clock in the morning.  She had her head cocked like a puppy, so I'm assuming she heard the thumping noise, but maybe she figured it was coming from outside the car.

So the fancy lady in her fancy car with the flat tire stopped at a red light and I thought for a second that maybe I should tell her but then as soon as I almost considered it another Corolla drove between me and the lady.

A different kind of Corolla.
Brownish, with gold flecks.
Not new.
Car probably older than the driver.
Blackened windows.
Virgin of Guadalupe on the dash under the PR flag hanging from the mirror.
"Rims", I think the kids are calling them these days, four of them that are probably worth more than the car.
Hydraulics.  Hydraulics!
The windows rolled down and a kid with tattoos on his face and a bandana around his neck asked the fancy lady to roll down her window.

She did.
An inch.

And he told her about her flat.  So she pulled over.  And he pulled over behind her and they both got out of their cars and when she saw he was there she put her purse back in her car and locked it and held her keys like claws and he pulled a big dirty bag out of his trunk and said "don't worry, I can have this fixed in no time.  I know a lot about Corollas".

And before the bus came the tire was fixed and the lady was on her way to wherever ladies like her go on a Friday morning and the guy was on his way to wherever guys like him go on a Friday morning and before they went on their way she gave him a big hug and he called her mamacita and all was right in the world.