Twins

I'd just put my 2

cans of soup on

the conveyor belt

when she walked

into the supermarket.

She wore a strange

long

patchwork coat

braided hair and

freckles.

She strode up

to the service

counter.

She made furtive

nervous glances

and kept pursing

her lips in

a way that seemed

to indicate

resignation to

a horrible world.

As the cashier

gave me my change

the girl

was asking the

service clerk

about personal

checks.

I stepped outside

and waited

with my

soup

until she came out.

I said, "Hey."

She stopped, turned

and locked her eyes

on me.

"I was noticing the

way," I continued

"that you walk, and

your facial expressions.

You remind me

of me".

She looked at me for

a second and

said

"Anything else?"

In an annoyed voice.

"No", I answered.

"That's what I

thought."

She said

brushing me

away.

Her angry feet

found her angry

minivan

and she

drove off

cursing at a driver

that

got in her way.

I walked back to

my car in

awe of

her anger

and thought

"I just ruined

someones day

by comparing

them to

me.

Either that

or I'm a poor

judge of

people."

I settled on

the

second one

as a merciful

lesser malfunction

of self,

but still tried

not to look at

my shadow

as I walked to

my car.

Jackson, MS 2004