envision:
a side-walk-view of the street and, consequently, the other sidewalk. cars fly by, you can hear their rubble. their whizzing. music in some cases, lots of bass, high notes, etc. the sun is high in the sky and the wind is blowing steadily. tree tops sway forcefully in the gust as if nodding to a classic Kanye beat.
the screen begins to move further up the street. the soundtrack begins to change: loud chattering. cursing. music played off the speaker of a phone. before long, the composers slide, unknowingly, into view.
one 24 year old black male on his phone handling, what seems like, either, baby-momma drama or a drug transaction. one cannot tell. another male crumbling weed in a dollar bill bent in a V shape, a child in a stroller crying by his leg, cell phone in his sagging back pocket blasting boisterous music through its annoying static.
there is a metal bench with four divided spaces.
in the first sits a young black woman with a smaller child in her lap. she, at times, kisses the drug holder. in the space total opposite of the first sits another young lady with an oversized sweat-hood draped over her. the sweat-hood's owner is draped over it and practically swallowing its current wearer. a cigarette in all of the men's hands.
the area smells of filth and thin smoke. loud, foul and necessary.
in the middle of all of them, sitting peacefully on the bench is a boy looking of 19. he is almost submerged in a book. everything about him seems out of place. he is quiet, neatly put together, alone, harmless even and seemingly content.
he looks up from the pages, directly into the camera. he holds this gaze for some time before looking further upward into the unheeding sun. his face is now a slight but distinguishable grimace as though to keep the sun from his eyes. he looks back to the camera with the same grimace. closes the book with a single hand forgetting to mark his space.
he stands up abruptly, no one takes note.
still grimacing intently at the camera he walks two steps forward and is met instantly by the bus for which he waited.
everything halts.
screams.
fade to black.
