I was wearing a sweatshirt with an embroidered bluejay on it when this stranger
whacked my shoulder with his hand
gestured behind me, meaning look back there
where a woman, about my age, sat idling at the stop sign
calling something to me that I couldn’t hear—
did I know her from somewhere? Had she been trying to say hello?
Had I dropped something on the crosswalk?

Confused, I turned back around
and the stranger flipped me off
continued walking briskly, hardly having broken his gait
though to me it had been a full minute since he’d touched me

I could hear the woman now, as I came back to myself
Are you all good? Ah, he wasn’t pointing to her, she was just where he was pointing
I was, but thank you so much for checking
She said he’d been following me so closely for a block
and she didn’t love the look of it
I could hardly hold my blossoming heart inside, straining against the bluejay
for her otherworldly kindness

I took a different route back to my apartment, in case he was waiting for me ahead
I scrutinized my corner for his dark sweatshirt and pale face
but fortunately
I remembered hers much better