Red Light Green Light

Recently I was driving down Fairfax, which I do on a daily basis, and I came to the intersection of Fairfax and Beverly. As I was stopped at the light a man walked out between the cars and was panhandling. Not an uncommon sight. Usually at these moments I try to take in what I can about the person because I feel like too often people ignore and simply pretend this doesn't exist.

I couldn't say how old he was, middle aged, in his forties I would hazard. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was staring up at the hills behind me. Forcing his mind to be anywhere but at that intersection with a cardboard sign and a styrofoam cup begging for money from drivers till the light changed. He got closer to my car and I noticed he was wearing something around his neck. Seeming to decide that the current batch of drivers was a lost cause, he turned toward the sidewalk, but not before I realized what was hanging around his neck. An MP3 Player.

The light turned green.