The sun broke the horizon, painting the brown brick buildings with hues of pink and orange. The small Southern city was coming alive dressed with spectacular beauty.
On a wooden bench outside of a downtown donut shop, an old man sat bundled against the cold. He smoked the remainder of a butt of a cigarette he had found an hour earlier. A puff, a cough and he flicked it aside. He never quite understood the appeal of smoking. It was a habit. A filthy one at that.
A pigeon landed next to him and if anyone had been watching, they would have sworn the man and bird were having a conversation. The old man stuck his hand in his coat pocket and threw seed onto the ground. The pigeon gobbled it up greedily. “All God’s creatures,” the man said as he wiped his hands off.
The sun continued to rise, chasing the shadows deep into the alleys. The old man exhaled, watching his breath evaporate in front of him. He felt his prickly gray beard and then rubbed his head. He had never felt more alive.
A man in an overcoat hustled past, avoiding eye contact at all cost. The old man smiled. “Have a nice day, sir.” The man quickly turned right into the tall skyscraper. Two ladies walked past, also avoiding contact. The old man grinned yet again. “Have a nice day ladies.” An older man in a suit hurried past and muttered, “Get a job.” The old man just smiled, rubbed his beard and tipped his hat.
The scene was repeated over and over again. The old man never allowed the rejections to dampen his spirits. For this was a day given to him by the Lord.
A middle-aged woman approached him and when he made eye contact with her, she did not look away. “Mornin’ ma’am.” he said.
“Good morning, sir,” she replied. “You hungry? I’m buying a donut this morning and would be more than glad to share. I’m blessed to be able to buy food for myself. Why not spread the blessings? Oh, and how ’bout a coffee? How do you like it?”
The old man smiled, “Yes, ma’am, I’m hungry. I appreciate your generosity. I’d like my coffee black, please.”
“Great,” she said. “Just wait here.”
She came back out of the donut shop and sat down next to him. “I hope you like Jelly. It’s my favorite. They’re really heavenly, you know.”
The old man smiled, took a bite of the donut and a sip of the steaming hot coffee. The warmth traveled down his windpipe and into his soul.
The lady looked him in the eye and said, “Have a blessed day.” He smiled and said, “I know you will.”
She was puzzled as she stood up because she had no idea what he was talking about. As she walked away, he grinned and saluted her while holding his cup. He wiped his chin and enjoyed the rest of his donut, watching other people hustle past.
The old man then finished his coffee, got up and stretched. He slowly walked around the corner to find the Devil waiting there with his hands on his hips.
“I told you I’d find someone who would stop. Not all humanity is bad. At least not yet.”
The Devil scoffed and said, “I’ll show you next time. Let’s go somewhere like Congress or something.”
God laughed at the Devil’s joke and his defeat. And then both disappeared as the rising sun lit the alley.
