Red Gloves
We had arrived in the big city…Indianapolis! I was really looking forward to an outdoor walk downtown to Monument Circle. It was very, very cold, so I was wearing long johns under my jeans, two pairs of socks, the fuzzy scarf that Christie had knitted for me, a warm winter coat, and my favorite red gloves!
We parked the car in an underground parking garage, and then we headed for the escalators. As we came up the first flight of stairs, I heard a jingling sound and saw a Salvation Army bell ringer. Oh, how I wished I had my purse! I love putting coins in the bucket, but I had left my purse in the car, so I had to just smile at the nice man and keep walking.
As we came up the second flight of stairs, I discovered that we were inside the Circle Centre Mall. This was not right at all…I had my heart set on walking outdoors! I was still wearing my red gloves and starting to feel a little bit foolish because nobody else had gloves on. Right away, I said to my companions, “Let’s go outside. I want to walk downtown.” They kept walking and talking and looking around at the beautiful decorations inside the mall.
I looked down at my warm, red gloves. Should I just take them off and put them in my pockets? No! I put them on for a reason–to walk outside in the bitter cold! Stubbornly, I spoke up again, “C’mon, let’s find a way out of this mall. I want to go downtown.” This time I got a response, “That’s a good idea. We should get out there before it gets any colder.” Finally!
As we left the building, I heard another jingling sound. I looked around to see where the bell ringer might be, but instead I saw a man sitting on the ground holding a clear plastic cup. He had a few coins in it, and he was shaking it back and forth to make the coins rattle. A beggar! I don’t think I’d ever seen a beggar before. Again, I wished I had my purse! I would’ve gladly put some coins in his cup.
The sidewalk was crowded with people, and as we moved toward the corner, I found myself standing right next to the beggar. I couldn’t even smile at this man because he wasn’t making eye contact with anybody. He had no idea that I was staring at him because he kept his eyes on the ground… That’s when I noticed that his hands were bare, “His hands look so cold,” I thought to myself, “He needs gloves.”
In that moment, I heard a small voice in my head say, “You have gloves.”
“I need my gloves,” I reasoned, “I’m going for a walk, and it’s cold out here.”
“Give him your gloves,” the voice insisted.
“Oh, look,” I argued, “He has a small bag. Maybe he has some gloves in there.”
The light at the corner changed, and the crowd started moving across the street. “C’mon, let’s go,” my companions called, bringing me back to reality as I ran to catch up with them. We reached the other side of the street, and as we walked along, I started muttering under my breath, “His hands looked so cold…I could give him my gloves…but my gloves are red…he wouldn’t want my gloves…they’re too feminine!”
“Wouldn’t your gloves be too small for him?” offered my friend.
“Oh, I’m sure they would fit him,” I admitted, “These gloves are size large.” So much for that excuse!
As we walked around the Monument Circle, the cold wind was freezing our cheeks and faces, but we were dressed warmly, so we didn’t mind too much. We stopped to admire some freshly baked breads and muffins in a bakery window, we watched a live radio broadcast through a large window where we could see the station staff eating holiday treats, and we strolled along admiring the lavish holiday decorations on all sides.
When we had gone all the way around the circle, we were ready to head back to the indoor mall to get out of the cold wind! Someone suggested that we go back a different way, but I protested, “No! We have to go back the same way so I can see the man with no gloves.”
All the way back, I wondered, “Will he even take my gloves? Will he appreciate them? These are my favorite gloves! What will he do with them? Will he trade them to another beggar for cigarettes…or booze? I don’t want to give away my favorite gloves! Will he still be there at the corner?”
When we came to his corner, I couldn’t see him at first. He wasn’t sitting down like before. He was standing up, still looking at nobody in particular. Suddenly, I knew what to do. I walked right up to him, right into his personal space, and then he looked at me.
“Do you have any gloves?” I asked him quietly, but he just looked at me as if he wasn’t sure what I was trying to say.
“Do you want my gloves?” I held up both of my hands to show him, but still he said nothing…as if he wasn’t used to talking to people…like he had forgotten how to speak.
“Will these fit you?” I pulled them off my hands and held them out, “Here, try them on.”
He slowly took my soft, red gloves in one hand, and then held them with both hands, still holding the cup, and as I looked into his eyes I saw his tears and I heard his quiet voice say, “Thank you…Thank you…”
“You’re welcome,” I whispered, and then I walked away. As I turned to look back at him, I saw him tuck his cup under one elbow so he could put on his new gloves—a perfect fit—and then he held out his cup with warm, red gloves…and he smiled!
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