Crossroads

From a distance Josh moved like a tight end weaving his way through the secondary. With a leather briefcase in one hand and a cell phone to his ear, he conducted business on the sidewalk as he headed to the office. He rarely noticed those who shared the sidewalk with him. When they did come to his attention it was only long enough to curse them after a collision.

By all definitions Josh Stevenson was a Type A personality who with all things being equal would probably drop from a stroke or a heart attack before the age of 55. He was an ad executive who handled the accounts for several fortune five hundred companies. He brought home six figures a year not including bonuses. His house and garage were filled with all of the toys that any self-respecting thirty-something would covet.

Josh kept his eye on the ball and dreamed of one day owning his own ad agency. He allowed no distractions to interfere with his long-term goals. He never took the time to stop and smell the roses, watch a sunset or even remove his shoes and walk barefoot through the warm afternoon sun.

On this particular Monday Josh was late for a meeting with a client and was impatiently making his way to the office. He never saw the homeless man or his son until he tripped over the dad and went sprawling across the sidewalk. His suit was ruined and he came off the ground with fire in his eyes ready to give the man a piece of his mind.

As he turned towards the father he noticed a broken wheel chair sitting next to him. Looking down he saw that the homeless man was paralyzed, most likely from the waist down. Still the man should have been more careful about where he sat.

He was ready to give the dad a piece of his mind when he noticed tears forming in the son's eyes. Despite his obvious fear the boy stepped between Josh and the father. With shaking hands and a quivering voice he stood up to Josh.

"Mister I am sorry that you fell, but you really should look where you are going. My daddy's legs don't work anymore and he cannot move them out of the way." While he spoke the boy picked up Josh's cell phone which lay unnoticed on the sidewalk. He brushed it off and returned it to him.

Angrily, Josh shoved the phone in his pocket and looked at boy and his father with scorn in his eyes. "I am not concerned with your fathers problems or yours for that matter. If he cannot move out of the way he should not be on the sidewalk. You and your father have managed to make me late for a very important meeting. My lateness could cost me and my employer a lot of money."

The boy appeared to shrink into himself but he still managed to stand his ground. "Mister we would not have been on the sidewalk if my dads wheelchair had not broken. My dad is trying to find work to support us but he is unable to make it to any interviews without a chair. Could you maybe spare some cash to help us get another wheelchair? I saw one down the street at a thrift store it was only twenty dollars. Could you help mister?
Josh almost laughed right out loud. "First you make me late for a meeting and now you have the nerve to ask me for help. I admire your guts kid but I did not become wealthy man that I am by wasting money on those without the wherewithal to climb the ladder of success. If your poor it is your fault not mine."

He turned to leave but the little urchin grabbed the back of his jacket and stopped him.

"Please mister. We have already slept against this wall for two nights. I cannot move my father by myself. If I get the other wheelchair I can take my dad to the shelter for a hot meal. Mister just a few..."

Josh cut him off. "I do not have money or time to waste on people like you. Why don't you walk to the shelter and ask one of the bleeding hearts that runs the place for twenty dollars and leave me alone."

With that he stormed off, brushing his suit, straightening his tie and calling his client on the cell phone to say he had been detained but was on his way. He did not look back and he never saw the tears in the little boys eyes or the defeat in the fathers.

Later that evening Josh left his building and headed for the subway. He was still furious at the day's events. The collision with the old cripple had led to him being late for the meeting and to his company losing the opportunity to close a multi-million dollar deal. While his boss had been understanding he knew that the memories of those in upper management were long and today's debacle could come back to haunt him.

He came around a corner and was immediately blinded by a sea of flashing lights. Fire trucks and police cars filled the street. Josh was about to cut across traffic to the other sidewalk when he realized a crowd was gathered where he had tripped over the old cripple earlier today.

With growing dread he edged his way through the crowd until he could see what was happening. What he saw would give him nightmares for weeks. A car, driven by a drunk driver jumped the sidewalk and crushed the father and son against the wall, killing them. There was blood everywhere. The broken wheelchair was unscathed by the accident and filled Josh with guilt.

"Twenty dollars," he thought to himself. "Twenty dollars and they would have been long gone before the car jumped the curb. Hell I spend that much tipping waitresses on Friday nights I could have given the boy that and more."

The sound of the boys voice came back to haunt him. "Please mister all I need is twenty dollars to get the chair and take my father to the shelter."

With a heavy heart and tear filled eyes Josh shuffled away from the accident.

He did not remember the subway ride or even driving to his home in the foothills. One minute he was at the scene of the accident the next he was sitting on his deck overlooking the valley. However, for the first time he could remember he did not notice the view or anything else for that matter.

The events of the day kept playing over and over again in Josh's mind. If, if, if, all of the ifs were driving him mad. One gesture was all it would have taken and two human beings would still be alive. But know that was too hard for him. He was to busy being Josh Stevenson ad executive to notice the important things in life.

As he sat there on the deck through the long night Josh realized that the events of the day had brought him to a crossroad in his life. He could move forward as if nothing had happened and keep living life the way he had. Or he could change his lifestyle completely. He knew himself to well to believe that halfway measures would work. He was to addicted to success to cut back and remain in the industry. He had to either walk away completely or not bother changing at all.

In the east the sun was just coming over the horizon when Josh came to a decision. He could not let the deaths of those two human beings go for naught. They may have died but in doing so he thought, they may have saved me. All that I have done before today meant nothing to the universe. From this day forward I am going to contribute, to make a difference, to become a man who can be proud of what he sees in the mirror.

As the sun warmed the chill from his bones Josh entered his house and took the first baby steps of his new life.

Unseen by Josh three spirits remained on the deck in the morning sun. The boy, his father and one who shown with the brilliance of a full moon. They exchanged smiles and slowly dissipated.