A Sudden Wall of Water
Tires cut through a deep curb pool and threw a wave of brown street water straight across the sidewalk.
The grey plastic tarp covering the man on the pavement collapsed under the sudden weight of the blast. Dirty runoff dripped from his beard and soaked through his wool layers.
A red convertible accelerated away from the curb, its open roof exposing the driver throwing his head back in laughter.
Pedestrians holding umbrellas stopped on the corner, mouths open, watching the spray settle over the brick storefront.
Stalled at the Red Signal
Traffic bunched tightly at the next intersection as the overhead light turned solid red.
The red sports car idled in the center lane, trapped behind a row of waiting bumpers. To its left, a massive municipal sanitation truck rumbled to a stop, its green cab towering over the open sports car.
The sanitation driver looked down through his side window, his jaw set as he assessed the wet sidewalk behind them.
Metal hydraulics hissed and engaged. The mechanical boom on the rear of the truck swung slowly outward across the asphalt.
A cluster of swollen black bags dangled directly over the convertible’s leather interior. Pedestrians on the crosswalk turned their phones toward the intersection as the mechanical claw released its grip.
Piles of damp coffee cups, discarded wrappers, and wet refuse spilled across the open cabin, covering the driver’s lap and dashboard.
Warmth on a Wet Curb
The sanitation truck pulled over near the brick wall a minute later, its hazard lights blinking against the grey sky.
The driver stepped down from the cab into the wet street, carrying two paper cups in a cardboard tray. He walked past the metal shopping cart parked against the storefront and crouched low on the concrete.
He lowered one steaming cup until it rested firmly in the wet, shaking hands of the man sitting wrapped in the tarp.
The sanitation worker remained on one knee on the damp sidewalk, pressing a bag of warm food into the man’s lap as steam rose from the coffee lid between them.
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