Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window of the bus stop shelter. The wind whipped through the tattered edges of the newspaper David clutched, further blurring the headlines. He saw the wallet, lying half-buried in a puddle, a splash of gleaming leather against the grey concrete. He bent, his back protesting with a familiar ache.

He retrieved the wallet, its contents immediately apparent by the thickness. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Enough to change things. Enough to… well, he didn’t even know what. The thought didn't register much. His gaze drifted to a distant, rain-blurred cityscape, his fingers idly tracing the worn edges of the wallet.

He glanced at the sky. A grey, hopeless expanse. He closed his fist around the wallet, feeling the dampness seep in. He then pushed it into his backpack, already too heavy with the weight of his days. The bus pulled up, its doors hissing open. He stepped aboard, the money a forgotten burden.