Street Spirits!

As I walked my four legged daughter across the street to the corner of 1st Ave & 55th on her evening constitutional I saw what looked like Meryl Streep in Cherry Jones' Sister Aloysius Beauvier costume from Doubt. She had a walker, you know the kind with wheels & seat for an emergency respite, she was pushing it slowly ahead of her as she emerged from the Tudor style apartment building.

I turned away to see what Kayla was rooting around in as a rouse to avoid eye contact with a nun. Twelve years of Catholic School has left its scars in places I try not to think about. When I turned back hoping that the frail black bonneted figure had past there she was staring me in the face.

"What a beautiful dog. What’s his name? “Her name is Kayla.” “That’s an Alaskan name isn’t it? I came across it the other day while reading.” “Yes,” I said, “Originally it probably was Alaskan.” “Did you name her?” “Yes,” which was a lie, my sister did, but here I am lying to a “nun” in less than two minutes of meeting her, some things don’t change!

“Is it ok to pet her?" She rolled back her dark cloak to reveal a pale white hand trellised with veins. "Sure of course," I said, Kayla now sniffing at the woman with great interest. "How old is he?" "She's 10 and a very good girl." As she looked into my face I noticed that her skin wasn't wrinkled, or marred with age spots. Her kind eyes set deep within her skull made me think she might have been sick with the cancer yet her eyes sparkled in defiance.

"My, my 10 years old really, well you can tell she is well loved and taken care of," I giggled with agreement thinking only about the previously lie and wondered what other amazing BS would come out of my mouth. "That's all any of us need really, to be loved." My first instinct was to say, "I hope you have received your fair share." Only I thought that was too cheeky a response for my mysterious friend and defaulted to just, "Oh, she is indeed well loved."

We smiled at each other and she said, "Well thank you," and I replied "Thank you too sweetheart, have a nice night."

I turned took 3 or 4 steps and then wanted one last glimpse of my clearly eccentric & possibly cleric neighbor only she wasn't there.....

We were in the middle of the block and with her walker there is NO way she could have made it to the corner and disappeared in those brief moments that it took for me to move a few feet.

So my fellow New Yorkers, this is number two in my spiritual encounters on the streets of Manhattan. The first being a kindly old man in a fedora and trench coat who thanked me for being a good citizen because I was picking up Kayla’s poop. He too like a spring breeze brushed my mortal coil and then poof was gone like the wind!