Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Ochosi Sign

It's Sunday, and this afternoon I was sitting at the little concrete table in the front yard of my apartment building, writing in my journal. My apartment building sits on the corner of an intersection in Little Havana, and from the table I could distract myself by looking at pedestrians, dog-walkers, cars with loud stereos, and the old guy who feeds the birds.

Maybe everyone was with their families enjoying New Year's Day weekend, but the street seemed particularly quiet. I saw a young man, mulatto, ride by on his bike. But as soon as he began to pass the intersection, he slowed down and got off his bike, leaving it right in the middle of the road. Now this already seemed unusual, so he had all my attention. He was in the exact center of the intersection, near a single pigeon, which he began to follow, leaning down close to the ground and snapping his fingers. I could tell he had done this before. Suddenly he leaped into the air and grabbed for the scared pigeon, which burst up in flight. He missed it by inches.

Then he looked at me and smiled. I shrugged my shoulders, thinking, "Better luck next time!" And he repeated my gesture, getting on his bike and continuing on his way.

My Padrino doesn't believe in signs, but I do, and I knew this was a sign from Ochosi. I laughed out loud, enjoying the message. I knew he was familiarizing himself with my neighborhood and our local bird population. He just wanted to let me know. Ahh, Ochosi. Don't worry: you'll catch the next one.

No comments:

Post a Comment