14
I put down the camera and stared at the
flower seller.
The driver got out of the car. “Are you blind?
Do you know who’s in this car? Get out of
here!”
“Don’t be mad, sir. My flowers are great,”
Amy said softly, smiling.
<
The driver got angry and knocked the flowers
out of her hands.
“Do you think the boss is going to buy your
flowers? Get out of here! You’re trash!”
Amy was scared. She apologized and started
picking up the flowers.
People started talking, saying the driver
thought he was so great just because he had
money.
The driver started yelling.
I sighed and got out of the car.
I didn’t want to make a scene.
Illey got book in the car!” I said to the driver
L
“Hey, get back in the car!” I said to the driver.
He got back in, looking nervous.
I looked at Amy, picking up the flowers. I
squatted down to help.
The crowd started staring.
Amy was shocked. “Thank you, sir…”
She looked up at me.
I was in the car, and she was outside. She
didn’t get a good look at me.
Now, she looked at me.
We were just a few inches apart.
L
She froze.
It was like we were seeing each other for the first time in years.
It was like when she woke up from a nap and
glared at me. “Tom, you didn’t wake me up!
My neck hurts.”
It was like when we went to the amusement
park, and she said, “Tom, I think I peed my
pants.”
It was like when she glared at me for being
boring. “You’re so boring! I want a bad boy.”
We’d looked at each other so many times.
But never like this.
く
It was okay. I had someone better.
I smiled. “You dropped all your flowers. I’ll buy
them.”
Amy realized who I was. Her eyes filled with
tears.
She stared at me, at my face, at my clothes,
at my hair…
She looked down, shaking, tears falling to the
ground.
She made a sound, like she wanted to say
something.
But before she could, a man ran over and
kicked her.
<
Amy cried out.
The man was Jake.
He’d gained weight. His face was rough.
He looked like a gangster.
I wasn’t scared of him.
I felt sorry for him.
I stood up.
Jake looked at me. “It’s you! That guy, Tom?”
“Tom Smith,” I said.
He was surprised. He looked at my watch and
<
then at the Maybach.
The driver got out of the car and told me to
get in.
Jake put on a smile and shook my hand.
“Tom, long time no see. You’re a big boss
now. This is a Maybach, right?
