The Black Umbrella

Not only beautiful things deserve attention.

 

I hurtled toward the stop, but in the five seconds that would take for me to reach the damn bus, the doors shut in my face. And then the bus sped off.

 

It is a day to be pissed off, I said to myself as I thought about the things that have gone wrong since the moment the day began and the things that could go wrong until it ended.

 

I stood there, fuming, with an expression that could’ve sent roaches scurrying for their lives. A minute has gone by, and I’ve already gone through a million of those thoughts. Nine more minutes until the next bus, nine more million thoughts…

 

Click.

 

I looked at my left and saw a girl with a camera in her hands, taking a picture of the graffitied STOP sign. Whatever.

 

Click again.

 

I glanced at her again; this time the camera was aimed at me. I shrugged, and then resumed my brooding.

 

“Freak,” I muttered.

 

“Thank you,” she said. She then turned her camera to the gutter. I watched her in mild bewilderment. Across the street, was a café slash art gallery, bustling with life and beauty. If she took a picture of that, I would have understood. But a gutter? Nothing but stones and dirty water…

 

“Even ugly things deserve attention,” she suddenly said.

 

“Eh?”

 

“Wabi sabi,” she continued. “The art of appreciating things that are not beautiful.”

 

“I know I’m not much of a looker, but I’m NOT ugly,” I snarled.

 

“I didn’t say that.”

 

I opened my mouth to argue but thought better of it. I closed it and turned my back on her. Only six more minutes.

 

Click, click, click.

 

“Normally, I wouldn’t mind if people take pictures, but right now, I find it really irritating,” I said out loud. But she was oblivious. A sigh escaped my lips. In a split second, the camera was in front of my face.

 

A flash.

 

“What the - ?!” I interjected, rubbing away the blindness the came with it.

 

“Amazing how people can see the things that they want to see,” she breathed as she snapped a photo of some kid’s abandoned ice cream cone melting in the sidewalk.

 

“Yeah, and it’s even more amazing when they get on your nerves by just being profound,” I snapped back. She looked at me. Multiple facial piercings, black lipstick, black eyeshadow, black everything; a goth. That explains everything.

 

“You are?” she asked.

 

“Annoyed.”

 

“Weird guy,” she said, shaking her head, her multiple hoop earrings jangling as she did so.

 

“Speak for yourself.”

 

“So, Mr. Annoyed, what do you want to do with your life?”

 

“Live it. In peace.”

 

She stuck out a studded tongue with a yech that could’ve made Daffy Duck envious.

 

“What?”

 

“Well, it’s just that I wanted that, too. A long time ago, and I almost had it. As it turns out, not everything that you want is good for you.”

 

“That’s an understatement.”

 

“I know.”

 

A minute passed in silence. Only a minute more to go, and then it began to rain.

 

“Great, at least it can’t get any worse,” I said.

 

The bus arrived at the end of my sentence. The doors hissed open and the conductor barked, “One more, just one more.”

 

“Ladies first,” I said to her.

 

“Nah, you go. I’ll just take the next one.”

 

“Whatever you say,” I said. Just then, the drizzle turned into a torrent. I rummaged through my backpack and took out a battered black umbrella and handed it to her.

 

“You are aware, of course, that you’ll never get this back.”

 

“I know, but you need it more than I do.”

 

“Thanks, I guess.”

 

“No problem,” I said as the doors closed behind me.

 

When I sidled towards the back, the bus lurched forward. I caught a glimpse of the goth girl. She was still taking pictures; of the gray sky, of the space in front of her, of the umbrella’s bent ribs and flapping cover.

 

It was an ugly sight, but still. An umbrella is an umbrella, and it was raining.

Author's Note

It's not supposed to make sense, but if it does, then good for you.

Reviews

[Larry Dyson]

yes it is summed up by..“Even ugly things deserve attention,” she suddenly said.

[Larry Dyson]

its still a great read i came back a second time i love the imagry of the camera and the one taking the pics as yo uwalk around spouting bs and regualar thinking.. really cool piece..Sunshine

[Larry Dyson]

It was an ugly sight, but still. An umbrella is an umbrella, and it was raining...wABI sABI..i LIKED IT ..SENSE ..NO GOOD READ....AND KEPT ME READING..? YOU GOT A DIFFERENT WAY Of SAYING ..f**k you ..im writing,,hahaha
Sunshine

[tarasov]

"even ugly things deserve atention" i love it! this is good... like you said it doesn't always make sence but in some way it does.
" it is a day to be pissed off" we've all had these days and thankfuly not all of us have goth girls taking pictures of them...:)
it's a really good story! keep them coming :D
Tarasov