the other day I was riding my bike behind my two boys in my sweaty t-shirt and shorts and a man in a car stopped to ask
how do I get out of here
to be fair, the apartment complex can be confusing if you don’t remember how you came in
he seemed embarrassed that he had to ask
and I told him
oh, you just turn right where my son is, stop at the gate, wait, and it will open
a sheepish thank you collided with my smile and a
yeah, for sure
then he looked at me, my sons, then back at me and asked
these are your kids
more like a statement than a question
and I smile and say, yes, they are
he covers his mouth with his hand
looks at me with a reverence and breathes
wow, you’re beautiful
his eyes barely meeting mine
and it doesn’t feel like disbelief or an attempt to feed my ego in an effort to ask for my number next
just awe
and somehow this stranger
made me feel like a goddess