Everyday when I drive home from work, I see two men standing on the sidewalk watching cars drive by. When I first saw them, I thought they must be out for a stroll and were simply pausing to watch the traffic. They stand shoulder to shoulder and never seem to say a word to each other. The younger is intent on the cars flying by. The older is intent on the younger man.
If you look closely, you can see that one man is the father and one is the son. The son is probably somewhere between 20 and 25. He is tall--maybe 6 feet tall--and a little heavy. He wears thick glasses and his clothes look a little old-fashioned--perhaps picked out by a parent, someone with an older view of life.
Everyday, rain or shine, weekday or weekend, the two stand on the sidewalk, silently watching the cars go by.
I had been noticing them for a while, so one day I waved, thinking that they might recognize me as a frequent driver on this road. After all, I noticed them. Might they recognize me?
As I waved, the son lunged out toward the road, nearly jumping into the midst of the traffic. The father grabbed his shirt and pulled him back in, as if he were reeling in a large, unwilling fish. It didn't appear easy for the father to pull the son back. The son is taller and heavier than the father, and he had to move quickly to save the son.
I don't know for sure, but I suspect the son has autism and he's intrigued by the movement of the cars. The two stand for nearly two hours every single day. I no longer wave and actually try not to make eye contact, for fear that the young man will try again to leap into the traffic.
I can only imagine what patience it takes for the father to guide the son to the sidewalk and keep him from the danger of the roadway.
Every day, they stand shoulder to shoulder. It's an exhibit of love that one does not often see. I have never spoken to either of the men, but someone I feel as if I know them. They have become a fixture on the road.
