An Abandoned Object On An Outdoor Table
A young woman stopped her stride along the sidewalk railing, her gaze fixed entirely on the polished stainless steel watch resting inches from an unfinished plate of pasta.
A businessman had pushed back his patio chair, pressed a smartphone against his ear, and walked toward the corner without turning around.
She checked the sidewalk in both directions. Her fingers curled around the metal mesh of the barrier, knuckles whitening as pedestrians brushed past her dirty jacket.
She reached across the divider, wrapped her fingers around the metal bracelet, and tucked the heavy timepiece deep into the pocket of her oversized coat.
Her sneakers slapped the pavement as she turned the corner, keeping her head low and her hood pulled forward.
Across The Counter Of An Antique Shop
She pushed through the glass door of a dim antique shop, where wooden shelves reached the ceiling and brass clocks ticked against the wall.
An elderly man in round wire-rimmed glasses looked up from behind a dark wooden counter, adjusting his wool cardigan.
She set the watch down on the glass display case. The metal made a dull clinking sound against the glass.
The shopkeeper reached out with two fingers, lifted the timepiece into the pool of light beneath his desk lamp, and smiled gently as he examined the dial.
He pulled open the wooden till drawer and counted out a thick stack of paper currency. He slid the folded bills directly toward her open palm.
She looked down at the money resting on the polished wood. Her hand twitched backward before her fingers could close over the paper.
She grabbed the watch off the counter, pulled her hand back toward her chest, and darted back through the glass door into the daylight.
Returning To The Cafe Patio
She ran back down the street toward the outdoor dining area where the man had been sitting.
The businessman was standing near the curb, still speaking into his phone with his free hand resting inside his suit jacket pocket.
She stepped in front of him, extended her arm, and opened her palm to reveal the metal watch glinting under the streetlights.
His eyes widened as he glanced from her face down to his watch. He ended his call, took the watch from her open palm, and pressed his hands together in a quick nod before turning toward his waiting vehicle.
She watched him leave, pulled her coat tightly around her shoulders, and continued walking down the block toward an alley.
A Delivery In The Street
Hours later, she stood beside an iron wire trash can on an empty street, pushing aside grease-stained cardboard containers in search of discarded food.
A black sedan braked sharply alongside the sidewalk curb just inches from where she stood.
The passenger window rolled down, and two hands thrust a brown cardboard shoebox directly over the rim of the bin before the tires screeched away into traffic.
She reached inside the wire receptacle and lifted the plain cardboard container out into the open air.
She lifted the lid. Neatly banded stacks of one-hundred-dollar bills sat side by side, topped with the exact silver luxury watch she had handed back earlier that afternoon.
Tears spilled over her lower eyelids and ran down her cheeks as her knees buckled slightly against the pavement.
Inside the receding car, the man leaned back against the leather headrest, turned his face toward the camera, and gave a warm nod.
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