Lost and looking for directions

“Hey, lady! I’m talking to you!”

His sharp tone snaps me back to reality with a jolt.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I lower my novel just enough to see a small-statured man with a larger-than-life attitude standing directly before me, hands on his hips, the glaring sun above his balding head. I squint my eyes and shift into his shadow, finding little reprieve from the blinding light.

“You know where 1412 Meridian is? My phone died, so I can’t check GPS.”

I should know this. I’ve lived in this city for years but seldom look at street names. Left at McKinny’s Pub, right at that weird peanut statue in front of the smoke shop, next door to Jim’s Tires… Those are my type of directions. 

I glance at the woman to my left, Gladys, but she shrugs and gives me a slight shake of the head.
 

“I’m not sure,” I reply. “Maybe I can help if I know what you’re looking for?”
 

“I’m looking for 1412 Meridian. Are you deaf, or just stupid?” He leans forward, closer to my face.
 

I force a smile. Momma always said to kill them with kindness and darn it, that’s what I’m trying to do. Slipping the ribbon of my handmade bookmark between the pages of my book, I gently tuck it into my navy blue satchel. I pull out my phone in its place. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say the address was again?”

He rolls his eyes.

“One. Four. One. Two. Mer-i-di-an,” he says again. I don’t know what I’ve done to upset this man so much, but I’m pretty sure his eye is now twitching. Gladys, next to me, is silently working on a crocheted scarf trying to mind her own business.

Quickly navigating through the apps on my phone, I pull up the address in mere seconds and what do you know? It’s less than a block north of us. My smile broadens as I look up at his smug face, full of impatience and indignence. 

I point to the south. 

“You’re going to head about three blocks in that direction, turn left, and go two more blocks.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he huffs, though he doesn’t sound grateful in the slightest. 

“No problem,” I call out as he takes off on his not-so-merry way. “Have the day you deserve!”

Gladys chuckles. 

“You know you’re wrong for that,” she whispers, a hint of glee in her voice. “Where did you just send him?”

We gather our things as the bus pulls up to our stop. 

“That big ol’ church on 14th Street. That boy is lost in more ways than one. He needs some Jesus in his life.”