A New York Minute

She stopped, stared at the man with the black business suit and the steel colored eyes. She had seen him before, though she couldn't remember when. The snow was falling and she shivered on the New York sidewalk. She pressed her face against the window, watching the man. He didn't move. She gave him a weak smile. He didn't move. She waved. He didn't move. Her three-year-old mind couldn't comprehend why he wouldn't respond. She rushed inside and flung herself on him, almost knocking him over.

"I love you, Daddy!" As the words escaped her lips, she remembered him. She hugged him tightly, but he didn't return it. A tall woman in a suit hurried over, pushing the girl out of the store, muttering something about "closing time", "store policies" and "irresponsible parents".

The wind had picked up outside, and the girl was instantly surrounded by the flow of busy New Yorkers. She scrambled back to the window, again pressing her face against it.

"Daddy, I'm scared. I'm all alone. Where did you go? I miss you so much, Daddy..." The window fogged before her. The massive crowd of people suddenly consumed her again. In the window, the lights shut off behind the mannequin in the business suit with the steel colored eyes.