Two Strangers At A Traffic Light

I have a little electric bike. It’s adorable. It’s just right for someone my size – low to the ground with tiny wheels. I ride it into work sometimes – about 2 ½ miles each way. The manufacturer says that the bike has a 15 mile range on a full charge. So I feel pretty safe that I’ll make it home. It is supposed to go 15 miles an hour but it doesn’t have an odometer so I don’t really know. When I first start out and hit the accelerator, it definitely feels like I’m flying but when I’m on the street and cars are going past at 30 miles or more per hour, it feels as though I’m standing still.

I was riding home from work the other day and stopped at a red light. Yes, I follow the traffic laws. Rolling into the crosswalk from the opposite direction was a man in an electric wheelchair. He looked at my electric bike and smiled the biggest smile.

“Pretty cool,” he shouted.

“Thanks,” I answered back over the sound of the traffic.

“Is it electric?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So is mine.” He tapped his wheelchair.

“I noticed. Very slick ride.”

“I can take mine inside of stores,” he grinned mischievously.

“I definitely can’t do that,” I grinned back. “You win.”

He gave me the biggest smile. The light changed and I shouted “bye” as I headed down the street.

I don’t know if he can walk a little or not at all. I don’t know if he is one of the street people that hang around downtown. [I think so.] I don’t know if he is homeless, living in a tent. I don't know if he is an addict.

But what I discovered is that he is a human being doing the best he can under the circumstances.

If I’m honest, I would not have said hi to him. The street people downtown can be intimidating sometimes.

But he was not afraid to say hi to me. More importantly, he found something we had in common – electric transportation. And with that, he forged a small bond. Two humans connecting. If only for the length of a traffic light.