dance

He dances up to my desk with his bag on his back. A little step towards the elevator bank, a little dance back. Smiles apologetically. Says Hi. Asks what I'm doing. I say good. He says good. Working I say. On what he asks. Memorizing something. Oh. Same smile again. I stop typing and stare at him long enough and pleasantly enough to make him uncomfortable.
A little step. A little smile. Maybe a cough. I was trying not to notice.
I can't think in this place you know, he says. Something about it. I can't think here. Must be the walls, I say. What about the walls, he says. They're blank I say. No, he says. I think it's just that when I'm here I'm focusing on work. I say maybe it's because when you're here you're not moving. Little step. Silence except for my chattering keys which I am priding myself in not abandoning for one second, not a moment of silence for this tapping machine. I'm even beginning to be able to carry on a conversation while not looking down at my hands and keeping the clacking at a reasonably feverish pace. I am a real secretary.
During lunch, now he says. During lunch I talked to this lady. It was wierd. Oh? I say. Yeah, he says. We both saw the same thing or something. She was a business lady, you kow well dressed or whatever and she's sitting there on this bench eating sushi. This guy comes up to her and he says Ooh is that sushi? and she says yes and the guy says-I think he was homeless or something-Let me try one of them and she gives it to him! I guess she felt intimidated or something. Women feel like that sometimes. Then she started telling me about her family or like her job or something. One of these people who needs to talk, you know? You know those kinds of people-
I clacked.
I don't know maybe she was going to cry he said. But she must have felt like intimidated or scared by that guy and that's why she gave him the sushi. I asked her why she did it and she just shrugged and said I don't know. It was the middle of the day. I mean, I understand being intimidated if it was late at night and the guy came up to her and asked for some of her sushi or if she was alone but it was the middle of the day, there were people around.
I kept typing. His dance had ceased as his confidence grew. The story. Of his lunch. The woman and her intimidation.
He said, I mean, I 'd get on a bus late at night if there was only one other guy and wouldn't think anything of it. Especially not in the middle of the day. I said nothing.
Then he said But some women...I never feel threatened if I’m the only one on the bus. But women…some women.
I said Some men, too. Can feel threatened.
He said I don’t know, most men aren't going to feel threatened-
I interrupted him and said-Do you know most men?
Little dance resumed.
I pressed further with You speak to most men...most men in this world on a regular basis? You know them?
He laughed and said Yes, that he did.
I said I bet you do.
The elevator opened maybe at that moment or maybe moments before or perhaps he ran to the button and frantically pushed...while dancing and getting away
from that
which threatened him.


One of these people who needs to talk, you know? You know those kind sof people.