Dude greets me as his Brother in Christ. Needs $20 for the bus to Truth or Consesquences. Gotta get there today for the job that’s waiting so he can pay the hospital for recent surgery—a wrist ID band verifies the tale. It’s like he knows I’m packing two Jacksons in my wallet for a hot taco lunch and a haircut afterward. It’s like he knows my guilt and spotlights my privilege. I fork over the bills and he whistles a happy tune heading east. “The bus station is west,” I call. He waves; waves to his Brother in Christ.
David Cameron writes stories and hikes trails in Western North Carolina where he lives with his spouse and son.