Nothing is better than reaching an intersection as he appears, his figure shining bright, permitting me to move forward. But today, he's making us wait. Impatiently, my sister runs ahead; I don't. Lanes of traffic divide us. She looks back, laughing, as though I'm joking. It's not funny. That little green man is life or death; ignoring him is potentially fatal.
I reach the other side, and she shrugs off my concerns. She doesn't understand what I saw or comprehend what I have lost. A decade has passed, but sometimes, I'm transported to that dark country road when I cross a street. The stop sign is so easily ignored. It was a night that began with young people celebrating and meant to end with a safe trip home. But there are some things you can't control.
I think about his baby blue t-shirts and matching bright eyes. Mostly, I remember how he made me feel like I was the coolest girl in the world. He came into my life of self-depreciation and lit a flame, like an angel in human form, foreshadowing what he would become.
It's the best ones who leave us too soon, as though they have a limited battery life, their brightness unsustainable for the darkness of Earth. Today, as my sister and I walk away, lucky to have another day, I thank the illuminated man. If he had only been there that night, my friend's light would still shine.