☼19 Speaking of ... real or not here they come!

I first noticed her legs, bone thin, she walks awkwardly as if on stilts. They were ahead of me in the queue at the local library checking out some books. A couple, both so old, yet the man is young enough that he's her son. And still he is so old that A thinks his son should be there too, to take care of him!

Months later I see them in the city! It's not far, but not a trip many take if old and not so well. They walk arm in arm, he's very careful of her, taking tiny steps to match hers, crowds rush around them back and forth. There's lots of flowing, silver hair, long for each of them, with a beard for the son. Their clothes are glossy too, well-kept 1970's polyester all over. It's hard to tell you more about what they look like even though I've seen them a few times since. I don't know if it's the flowing hair, the slowness of them both that turns them sort of ghostly. I glance around to see whether others are seeing them too, then look back and they're still there, calmly making their way through the crowds. But you only see them for a second before you can't help but just see time, passing and family, relationships, and then you have to turn away even though they're fascinating because these things are tough to be up this close to.