Page 15 of Just Right

"It's good to see someone who's talking positive," the man said. "Too many people seem to spend their whole lives looking at the bad side of things."

"I try not to do that," the lost man said.

"I myself had a loss recently," the other man explained.

"You did?" The lost man looked suspiciously at him. What was this about?

"I lost my wallet. Unfortunately. So, I was wondering if you have any cash on you? I need some, just to get home, that's all." He smiled hopefully at the lost man.

The lost man told himself that there wasn't anything wrong with this. He was only being asked for a small amount of money. He could spare a few dollar bills. There was nothing wrong with a small act of kindness. But at the same time, he knew that he could not afford to be noticed. What if this man prevented him from doing what he needed to do? It would be better to shut this conversation down, right now.

"I don't have any cash," the lost man said. It wasn't true, but he felt the need to emphasize.

"That's too bad," the man said sadly, still watching him.

"It's really not a lot," the man said, following after. "A twenty would do it. I'm really not asking for much."

"I don't have any cash at all," the lost man said.

"There, you see?" The man sounded angry now. "You're just like all the others, thinking only of yourself."

"So be it," the lost man snapped.

Needing to cut this conversation short, now panicking that he was running out of time, he jumped into his car. Starting it up, he hit the gas, causing the other man to jump out of the way as he sped in the direction of the main street.

His mother—he was sure that it was her—was calling to him, and he knew now exactly where she would be. He had no time to waste. He was not interested in helping strangers who were more like thieves. That man could have ruined his plans. For all he knew, he could even have been an undercover cop. Paranoia surged.

Trying to tamp it down, reassuring himself that things were still going to be okay, the lost man accelerated in the direction he knew he had to go. South. He felt as if the coordinates were pulling him that way.

"I can see you," he told the now-invisible stars. "I can feel you. I can reach out and touch you."

He would get to her this time. He was sure of it. He was on the right path, finally, heading towards the place where he knew she would be. The lost man felt short of breath and excited. He was on the way to finding her. He was convinced of it. He sped along the main road, slowing as he turned into a side road. It would be unwise to draw attention to himself. He had to be careful and remember not to do anything that might delay his all-important task. His mission. What he had to do to save himself.

"I'm getting near," he told the stars. "I can feel it."

He was so close now. He was almost there. Everything was going to work out this time. He could feel it.

He parked nearby, but not too near, because he knew that there was always the chance that he was wrong and that things would not go as planned. If he was arrested or locked away, he couldn’t finish his mission.

He checked the street. It was quiet, with only a few houses nearby. If anyone saw him, they'd think he was a neighbor coming to visit someone.

Casually, he leaned back into the car and took the walking stick from the back seat. He didn't think he would need it because he was sure that, this time, he was right and that the person he was expecting was alive and waiting. There would be no need for the stick, which he washed so carefully in the water after those unfortunate times when he had to use it.

His breath was coming fast as he strolled along the sidewalk, heading for her house, her presence seeming to draw him there.

"Mother," he said under his breath.

He reached the house. This was where she was. Now, at last, he could see her clearly.

Keeping low, he crept out of sight of the street, rounding a wall into the back yard.

"I'm coming," he whispered, feeling a terrible eagerness erupt inside him. "I'm here. I'm in the right place. I've found you at last, and now I can save you."

He looked in through the window, his mouth dry. And there she was.

But it was not her! Disappointment thudded in his heart, together with a sense of doom. He'd been so sure, so very sure that it was her. And it wasn't. Now that he was seeing her more clearly, he realized his mistake. This woman's face was completely different. She was younger than his mother.

He'd made a stupid mistake. He wasn't in the right place. He'd arrived here by accident. He couldn't believe it. In fact, he had no idea what to do now that it felt as if his whole world had collapsed.

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