Street Smart

He was holding bouquets of roses. The signal turned red and he weaved his way through idling cars. He begged drivers and passengers to buy. The signal turned green and he returned dejected.

She walked up to him and took the flowers. When it turned red, she tapped a window. The passengers refused and she teared up. He couldn’t hear what she said, but could see her offering all five bouquets.

A woman in the back took all of them. She accepted the money and thanked the lady profusely.

She thrust the money into his hands.

“And that’s how it’s done.”

By Srividya Ganapathy

(This was published on June 6th, 2022 in 101words.org)