No one in the exercise room but me at the moment. Sitting on the hip abduction machine I catch a flash of blue shirt out of the corner of my right eye, a man close behind me. For a split second, I freeze. He moves around to my left and I recognize the older blind black man I’ve seen at this gym before. Is he lost? Should I try to direct him? I spot his white cane, propped in the corner in front of me. He has gone around the long way to get it because the outward movement of my exercise made it impossible for him to get there on the right. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I say. He chuckles. “You thought I was gonna attack you.” “No, no,” I protest. After he retrieves his cane, he pats me on the shoulder on his way out. Blind people see more than we think they do. I lied, of course. At that first blue flash, I felt threatened.
These guys aren’t what they appear to be. Granville Island, 2017
Your writing prompt, should you choose to accept it: Describe a first impression that turned out not to be what you thought it was.
Pat, I so love your Tidbits. I desperately wish I wasn’t so utterly terrible with writing prompts, because yours are so interesting.
Andrea, thanks so much! All those years of teaching creative writing pay off!