night

by nick nelson

a man walked down a street at night. he wore a hat. it was dark. a woman watched him from a window. although the night was not hot, and there was in fact a breeze blowing in the street, the man stopped and took his hat off and wiped his brow with a handkerchief he took from his pocket. he is giving himself an excuse to stop, the woman thought, he wants me to look at him. just then the woman’s gray cat appeared, demanding to be fed. the woman complied, and went away from the window into her small kitchen and fed the cat. when the woman returned to the window the man was gone. she never saw him again, or thought about him again.