10pm in the city

Henry stepped out the building’s doors on to the concrete sidewalk.

“Hey! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day!”

He instinctively turned left, ready to greet an eager friend.  He was smiling widely.

“Oh, it was fucking horrible, he’s such an ass hole,” spoke the young woman into her headset as she bumped past him without any notice.  Henry exhaled, squinted as he pretended to be looking for something off in the distance, then turned around and went the other way.

Henry walked down the street, contemplative at first but then content and with a smile.  He saw a few people walking towards him in the distance but for now he was alone.  The sidewalks were a little quiet, probably because it had been raining on and off all day.  He looked up at the buildings looming over him, in protection he liked to think.

There was a warmth in the city that wasn’t present in its suburbs.  There was a snow in the suburbs that wasn’t present in the city.  The skyscrapers, the condos, the businesses, the homes, the cars, the people; there was so much energy, so much heat.

Starting from the tops of the buildings Henry looked them down.  He paid particular attention to the older buildings.  He looked at the wear.  He looked at the cracked brick and the chipped paint.  He looked at the windows and the outlines of the apartments inside.  He looked down to the street front at the stores.  In his peripherals he saw someone approaching and turned to see.

The young man was ten yards away.  He half glanced up at Henry then continued typing on his phone.  Henry continued to survey him and prepared a smile.  The man continued to type as he passed Henry.  There were more people approaching.

Another man, middle-aged, approached.  He was looking towards the ground, probably about eight feet ahead, and walked a brisk pace.  His gaze was fixed.  He looked anxious.  Henry looked at him deeply and quietly sighed as he passed.

Jacob