It Really Happened

It was unseasonably cold for May, even for New York City. My family and I were enjoying the brief respite from the already repressive heat of an Arkansas summer. As we exited the hotel, we were loaded down with rain jackets, ponchos, and umbrellas. We had booked a double-decker bus tour to Little Italy and China Town and despite the rain, we were still planning on sitting on the top deck so as not to miss any of the sites. We had made our way through the red velvet upholstered lobby with the gold accents and arrived at the big glass and gold doors. The doorman kindly held them open and I barreled out into the rain and the crowds that were constant this close to time square. Without thinking, I popped open my over-sized umbrella. To my immense embarrassment the umbrella made contact with a passerby. Lifting the umbrella up over my head and shouting a rushed apology, I made eye contact with the passerby I had hit. He was tall with dark skin and warm brown eyes, and I recognized him. From where, I could not remember. A few seconds passed, long enough for him to melt into the crowd and my family to join me outside and asked what had happened. I looked at my mom and said, “Oh my God. I just hit that actor from Bones with my umbrella. You know, the anthropology intern who falls in love with the boss!” “Our first celebrity sighting,” my mom replied, “and you whacked him with your umbrella. Way to go, Ab.”