Cardboard

The wind was cool but the sun was warm, and if this day had been any other day, he would have thought the weather was perfect. He stood straight and proud, and though his breathing was steady, his fingers, they trembled just slightly as he held onto the cardboard. His sign, though it declared the truth, gave permission to everyone around him to judge him, and as three cars passed by he could feel his cheeks grow warm.
He didn't blame them, for hadn't he been the same way years ago? Back when he was a young thirty-something businessman, hellbent on success and too busy to give a glance to anyone beneath his level. He remembered that when stopping next to men like the one he was now, he would lock the car door and silently pray that they did not approach him, that they did not scuff the paint on his Lexus, his BMW, his Mercedes.
All of that was gone now, and a sad smile played around his lips while he thought about how fleeting success could be. How he lost everything with a couple of bad decisions. How the mortality rate of success is never talked about in debriefing meetings. As a car drove by and honked on its horn he blinked. Though he had never touched a drug in his life he understood why people in his position did...To numb the embarrassment of asking for help, the peacefulness of a dull mind. He could understand why people give in to those vices.
He momentarily held his breath as the light changed color and his knuckles grew white as he clutched at his sign. "Not drunk or lazy" it read. "Just going through a really hard time."

She was running late for work and it slightly irritated her, that she had slipped into the habit of leaving too late. She pulled off the freeway and drummed her fingers on her steering wheel as she started braking for the red light.  She was tuning out from the world, the anxiety of a busy work night lingering in the back of her mind. As she waited for the lights to change, from the corner of her eye she saw a man holding a sign. "Not drunk or lazy" it said. "Just going through a really hard time." You and me both, buddy. She thought to herself as she checked her watch. She heard the familiar plucking of heart strings. She was used to wanting to help everyone, but her optimistic attitude about helping the helpless had grown dimmer over time, for as she aged she realized that most of the people she gave her hard earned money to probably wouldn't even remember her the next day. Their eyes were constantly glazed with the residue of chemicals and sadness, and it was a pain that she knew she alone could not erase. But as she read his sign, her fingers stopped drumming on the wheel. She rolled her eyes, mostly to herself as she reached out for her bag. Her shoulders slumped a little as she realized she only had one dollar left in her wallet, she had wanted to give him more. She rolled down the window and held it out. She was surprised at the smile that erupted from his face, and sense of relief swept through them both. He walked to the car and thanked her, thanked her so much for helping out.

And his eyes. His eyes shocked her as she told him "you're welcome". His eyes had her asking him how his day was going, and if possible they grew even brighter. They had a small conversation, a conversation that said nothing and meant everything. His eyes were bright blue and so clear. They startled her, they were kind eyes. Eyes that had fatherly love, or brotherly adoration inside of them. They were some of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and they belonged to a man who wasn't drunk or lazy, no. She knew in that moment he was just going through a hard time.  As the light turned green and she started to accelerate she could feel the tears gathering in her eyes. She turned the radio up and let the tears come steadily down her face. It was only for a moment. With a deep breath, she was able to recompose herself.

But oh if the world allowed us to look back, she would have seen that his face was wet as well.