“Watch your pretty mouth,” the stranger said as he stuck his finger into my face as I tried to back away. I’m not even sure where this man had come from or why he was so upset. I hadn’t even said or done anything but try and cross the street.
As he continued to yell and shake his fist in my face, I began to wonder if anyone would come to help. Couldn’t they see I was being threatened? I hadn’t even done anything in the first place. I had only been trying to cross the street for class when this man stepped in front of me, completely unannounced and out of nowhere.
“Excuse me. Is everything all right?” A voice said tentatively from behind me. Inwardly, I sighed. Authority. Speak with authority. God, I was turning into my mother.
“Everything is fine,” the stranger said as he backed away. He finally turned and left me alone and bewildered on the sidewalk.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to call someone for you?” The voice continued as whoever it was came to stand next to me. “Did you know that man?”
As I turned to the man who was now standing a little too close to me, I felt my jaw drop. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t entirely losing my mind. The man standing in front of me was an exact replica of my father. My father who had disappeared three years ago.
Standing Room Only 