Stopped a Stranger

Stopped a Stranger

I stopped a stranger today.

It might have been the bravest thing I've ever done. At a convenient store located just a few short blocks from my home, I stopped a stranger.

He held the door open for me as I departed with a pack of expensive cigarettes. It might have been the bravest thing I've ever done. The convenient store opened it's doors to many different colors of people. I stopped a stranger.

The man didn't seem any more harmless than the thugs living down the street from me. The kind covered in tattoos, wore used clothing from a cheap thrift store, and drove cars that lacked all respect for other drivers on the road. He held the door open for me as I departed with a pack of expensive cigarettes. I gripped them within my right hand, nervous at that very point in time when we met each other at the closed doors. His skin color was a pasty white, his hair black, his body wide but not large, and the tattoo on his forearm warned me of his nature. I stopped a stranger. It might have been the bravest thing I've ever done.

So, I nodded to him in appreciation. "Thanks, man." I said to him in a tiny appreciation. I'm sure he could tell behind my subtle breath that my typical 'thank you' gesture was nothing more than what I had to do in the situation. The man appeared no less harmless than the thugs living just a few houses away from me, the kind that carried knives and handguns within their baggy pants, sold drugs on the side, and never paid their light bill. The pack of cigarettes were of little concern as I passed between him and the doorway. He nodded back to me sleepily. I forget that seven am in the morning is terribly early for other normal people. The tattoo on his forearm screamed for my attention. Seconds passed yet I still recalled the graffiti-like piece of permanent art. I turned to him within those last few seconds before he entered the store. "Are you having a good morning?" His body had not yet escaped my sight. "Sir?" he asked me politely. I stopped a stranger today, and it might have been the bravest thing I've ever done.

"I'm sorry. Are you having a good morning, or a bad morning?"

"It will be a good morning," he replied through the crack in the doorway.

"Make it a great one."

So, I stopped a stranger today, and it might have been the bravest thing I've ever done. His tattoo on his right forearm left me. I might not have even comprehended a meaning for the unsolicited meaning. But I stopped him regardless. I smoked the cigarette within the comfort of my Camaro, windows rolled all the way down with the heat on full blast. Within a few short minutes, the extraordinarily tall man passed by my car. He opened the door to a gray 2013 Honda Accord with a tag reading "Applied For". In the back seats were two children. One close to ten with that same pasty white complexion, and the other still in a car seat. He leaned in to kiss his wife while also putting the car into drive.

And I realized that was why I chose to stop a stranger today.

Author's Note

This is so rough, I don't even know where to start. It's supposed to be repetitive by the way. Haha. I have people tell me all the time that I repeated myself here and there. It's not that deep. I just wrote this off the top of my head based on a real life experience, and went with it.

Reviews

[Bats In The Belfry]

You do a wonderful job of breathing life into your writing. Ive read several of your pieces and enjoy they way they gracefully play through my mind as I read. The words and sentiment of your work is heartfelt. Making them have a pulse. My imagination is never strained.Great job! I look forward to more of your stories and poems

[Christoph Poe]

Thank you kindly for reading this! I honestly didn't think it's get this much attention considering how simple it is. I don't know if you've reviewed any of my novel or not, but if you liked this, you might like my prologue and first chapter. (Which is all I've bravely posted here so far.) Regardless, thank you for reading this!

--Christoph Poe

[Bats In The Belfry]

I consider it more earnest than simple. Personally I love stories that have a breath of realism, even with fantasy (which I love first and foremost above all genres). Its with that breath that makes you feel whats happening in the story could possibly be happening right down the street. It transports the reader into the story...which overly flowery worded stories can sometimes fail to do. I will read your other chapters first chance I get...lol brave indeed...I never wrote poetry until I got on here but tried it and was pleasantly surprised...opened up a whole new world of writing for me and got some pretty wicked new friends

[AnonymousLad]

As others have said before me, I like the repetition. I also like the story as a whole. Thought-provoking stories like this are all around us every day, but so often they go unnoticed or ignored. It's nice to see one recorded and written down, especially by someone with a decent amount of writing talent. With a little polishing, this could be a really good piece of writing.

[Anjelica Allen]

I like the repetition in this piece a lot. I feel like with a little more work, it can be a really good piece.
It's a little convoluted and difficult to understand. A little more specific detail would help a lot.
I really like the lines that discuss how he "didnt seem any more harmless and that he "appeared no less harmless" than the average thug. It almost contradicts itself, but it works and produces the image I think you were going for.
I like the ending where it all ties together. His looks are deceiving: he's just an average father.
Overall, I think it needs a little more work to make it more crisp and clear. The idea behind the piece, however, is one I think has great potential. Good job.

[Samuel Dickens]

Little things aren't necessarily insignificant. They can often occupy our thoughts with more weight than would seem appropriate. In this case, there is a lesson to learn, though it may be an old one. (Don't judge a book....well, you know)

[Gray Witch]

Real life... No one can top real life for depth of experience and subtlety of purpose in writings. I, too write about real life...it is both cathartic and fun to share...

[Christoph Poe]

I once found modern/present day writings boring. I still don't enjoy them as much as I do my fantasy pieces, but I follow both now. A writer can place more of their soul and mind into a real-life event, rather than keeping the reader separated from the characters. (I've attempted a read at so many fantasy novels, and felt disconnected throughout.)

And as a side-not, I try combining the two.

Thank you for your thoughts! I greatly appreciate them. :)
--Christoph Poe

[Gray Witch]

I write.... short, short stories, long essays (everything you ever wanted to know about SALT(g), and Fantasy humour (my boB...stories - start with A Palindrome Called boB... and disturbing autobiographical fiction - Stealing Christmas...Variety eh?...LOL