Adrift

I went to a fair in a neighboring town with a friend the other day. He drove us there.
Somehow we got separated in the crowd. At first I just wandered about, looking at the
Various booths and the items for sale.
But as time wore on and he didn’t make an appearance, I grew nervous. I reached into
my purse for my cellphone to call him and I realized I had left it at home.
I haven’t felt so adrift or disconnected for years, even though I live alone. It was disorienting.
I wondered how the homeless must feel as the rest of the world rushes past them on their
ways to wherever it is so important to go.
As I sat on a curb, wondering what to do next, a man on a nearby porch who was holding
an infant called me over. He had noticed me sitting there and offered his phone.
It didn’t do me any good, because in today’s world, we don’t know each others phone
numbers, because we don’t have to. They are stored in the phones. Ha!
So, I sat and I talked to him, and I played with his baby for the longest time…and I thought,
when was the last time I really interacted with someone I don’t know?