That was when I noticed her.
A young woman sat on the pavement outside a grocery store.
She had a baby with her.
A cardboard sign rested against her leg.
The tiny infant slept against her chest in a carrier whose worn straps looked close to breaking.
I parked three rows away and simply watched.
Perhaps an hour passed. Maybe longer.
Time had become as difficult to hold onto as everything else.
Then my mind made a choice my heart had not yet accepted.
Eventually, I drove home.
I passed