Cab

A small crowd had formed across the street. In the middle of the crowd was a bearded man in a gray pin stripe suit. He held a cardboard sign: “REPENT!” it read “The Kingdom of GOD is a Hand!” The man had only one shoe and he paced back and forth on the sidewalk shouting. Alice watched his rant with a sideways glance as Daniel tried to flag a cab. Several others had gathered nearby and were watching the crowd as well. As a yellow cab pulled to the sidewalk where Daniel and Alice were standing Alice noticed three sort but broad shoulder police officers moving hastily down the street toward the crowd. Daniel opened the door to the cab and Alice stepped inside. Daniel followed her into the backseat and closed the door behind him. As the cab drove off Alice saw through the glance back through the rear window to see one of the police officers hit the bearded man in the back of the head with a baton. The man fell and a crumpled heap to the sidewalk and disappeared from Alice’s view as the cab turned the corner. It was calm and silent in the backseat of the cab as they made the drive back to Daniel’s apartment.