The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man…

I can’t remember when I first time saw him – a few years ago would be my guess. It was hot as usual outside in South Florida and I vividly remember he had straw-hat with wide brims that covered his head and keep his face shadowed, making only gray beard visible. Old brownish suit, jacket and pants, dirty, too short and too big for his figure and old shoes that is all can remember.

“He needs a new jacket!” I said to myself, driving by to my mom’s apartment. He moved swiftly among other people on the sidewalk who paid him no attention, in a direction only he would know, but apparently without any urgency.

My encounter with him was brief and I thought I'd forget about him as we tend to forgot about many things we see in our lives. But, I was wrong. From that moment on, I would see him almost every time I will go to my mom’s apartment and it will be always very brief and he would be on the other side of the busy street wearing same straw hat, jacket and pants. I feel like my eyes were looking for that old man, who was invisible to other people and I was always remember that he need a new jacket.

Last Sunday was raining buckets and my wife asked me to take windbreaker with me when I was ready to go to meeting. I put it on passenger seat and cruised off.

After meeting on the way home at the stop-light I saw him, straw hat and all. I got out of the car, went to him and asked if he would honor me and would take the jacket I held in my hands.  He was not surprised or anything; he just looked at the jacket, tried it on somewhat by putting his hand in one sleeve and said, “Yaah, it feets!”

I shook his old boney hand, thanked him and tuned around to clear intersection with all the cars behind me. Instead I turned around again and not knowing why, I asked him if he had anything to eat today. He casually said that he had a nice breakfast and new government check is coming, so he is okay. I took all the money out of my wallet and asked him if would honor me and take it. With a faint smile, he told me “Yes”. I gave him the money and drove off, happy as a kid who just found few coins on the street, rushing to nearby candy store to spend the money.

I still feel happy; I gave him the money, which turned out to be three 5-dollar bills and three singles, 18 bucks in total – all I had on me at the time. But that eighteen in chai, life in Hebrew. I think both me and the Invisible Man got a new joy in life that day, me even more than him.