I Was Bored, So I Took a Stab at Writing A Morality Tale

Todd stared at his coffee, oblivious to the confabulation that swirled around him. He rarely paid attention to the babble that ebbed and fell in public places. Todd had only ever wanted one thing from other people.

He wanted to be left alone.

At the next table, a young woman stared at her laptop. Her boyfriend stared at his phone. Both looked vaguely familiar, but he supposed it was simply the familiarity of their habits. Todd sipped from his mug stared out the window. His server came by to see if he needed a refill. He completely ignored her until she walked away. He took a large bite of his bagel.

Then Todd made the following realization.

Something wasn’t right.

To the untrained eye, the view from his seat would have been unremarkable. Just the common scene of a regular, busy street. But, eventually, Todd came to know that something was amiss. He scanned the storefronts and pedestrians, searching for a clue that would unravel his mystery. It was when he actually stared into the faces of the passersby that Todd realized, with a jolt, what the hitch was.

He knew. Every single. Person walking down the street.

Todd gaped as old college professors, former roommates, and ex-lovers passed in front of him. Across the street, a friend of his mother’s bought fruit from a co-worker he once shared an office with. A police officer rode by on his bicycle, not even looking at the man he once gave a warning to for public drunkenness.

Surely this wasn’t real. It had to be the figment of an over-caffeinated imagination.

Todd lowered his head and took a series of deep breaths. He looked back out the window, in time to see his great-uncle Rich, panhandling for change, just outside the coffee-shop. A gaggle of members from Todd’s old Boy Scout Troupe marched past, duly ignoring his uncle. Todd knocked frantically on the glass, but the beggar merely gestured angrily, before shuffling on his way.

Todd looked around the café. Each booth was occupied with people had met. Every table housed someone from his past. He had taken over a paper-route from the barrista. He had had a one-night stand with the cashier…

The next few moments were a jangle of throwing change on the table, grabbing his jacket, and rushing out onto the street. Todd stopped on the sidewalk, and took in as many people as he could. All of them acquaintances, kin, and friends from his past! None of them paying him the least amount of recognition! A knot of panic formed in his throat and worked it’s way down to his stomach. As he stood, stock still, his elderly kindergarten teacher pushed past him, rushing to catch an approaching bus.

He struggled to make eye-contact with anyone who came remotely close, hoping for just a glimmer of recognition…from anyone. But it didn’t happen. He was an island of ignored indifference. He spoke out. At first with polite “excuse me’s”, but his entreaties grew gradually more desperate. He recalled aloud, to everyone he saw, just who they were, and how they knew him.

Nobody listened.

Todd had never been more terrified. His panic had ballooned inside him, threatening to burst, screaming from his mouth. He covered his face with his hands and plopped himself down on the curb, rocking back and forth. He was afraid of looking at anyone. He didn’t know who he would see, or what he would say to them. He wanted to reach out. He wanted to touch one of them. He craved contact from somebody!

He knew who they were. Why didn’t they know him?

Todd peeked out over crossed arms, hugging his knees to his chest. A parade of acquaintances flowed in front of him, but there was no acknowledgement. To his horror, the faces in the crowd became more intimate. Old friends swept by, completely ignoring him. Family members went about their business on the street, not realizing just who it was standing next to them. Todd could stand it no more. He scrambled to his feet, took in a deep, ragged breath, and roared as loud as he could.

“LOOK AT ME!”

It was as if he hadn’t said a word.

Todd collapsed on the ground, gasping out sobs that were too big for his body.

An ambulance screamed to a halt in front of him, and two childhood friends, wearing EMT uniforms rushed into the restaurant.

Inside, a small crowd was gathered around a table near the window. They parted to let the paramedics through. A man lay slumped on the table. A mug of coffee lay spilled beside him. The server who found him was weeping.

“He choked on his bagel”. She told the paramedics. “Nobody noticed until it was too late. He was just sitting here, all alone.”