THE MAGIC COINS

The small hotel room smelled like my Aunt Bertha's house, she was real old, and she never opened her windows. I can still hear her saying "close that window, you'll catch cold"! I never quite understood that saying. How could you catch something, if you couldn't hold it in your hands? The ceiling had big cracks in it and the only means of water to be found was the tiny sink, attached to the wall with bare pipes, and crusty old faucets, with green rings around them.

I was a child of six or seven but how I came to be there I know not, nor can I remember when. But in my heart and mind are two people, and forever stamped in my memory is that moment!

I don't remember much about the way he looked except he was oldish, like my grandfather, and he had lines on his face going every which way. He was blind, and he walked very carefully with his cane. He laughed a lot and loved to tell stories abot when he was a little boy, he was good to me.

He had a dog that never left his side, it had soft, warm, brown eyes, and stiff gray whiskers. It's ribs showed through it's hairy body, and it's bony tail was always in motion. I think, it was as old as it's master, but it was loyal and good.

The woman's body was twisted with palsy; you could tell by the way she moved she never had a day without pain. There was a gentleness about her and she had the softest hands I ever felt. She had a kind soul and she loved that old man so much, you could feel it the moment he came near.

His sweater was thin and his pants were frayed at the cuffs but he had a warm nature, he laughed easily, and people liked him. He sat on the sidewalk all day long with his best friend beside him, listening to the clink, clinking, sounds of the coins, as they dropped into the shiny, tin can. In return for the donations he received, he would give new, yellow, green and red pencils, with soft baby pink erasers on the ends. The visitors would pat his friend on the head and then they would be on their way.

How she spent her day and what she did I never knew. I remember her sweetnes of heart and kind ways. She was compassionate and genorous, always ready to share whatever she had with anyone who needed it.

At the end of the day we would gather on the old bed, with creaky bed springs, you could even feel them poking you as you sat there, I'd be so excited I could hardly hold still, waiting for it to begin. I held my breath in anticipation, and could feel my little heart beating so hard and fast, I thought it would jump right out of my chest. At last the moment!

I couldn't take my young eyes off the bright, shimmering, silver coins, as they spilled out of the gleaming tin can, she was holding, and tipping.
I can still hear the tinkling sound as they toppled on top of one another,
the heaviness of them made an impression in the mattress. I remember the more she spilled out the coins, the deeper the impression became! I reached out my hand and felt the coins, they were cool and smooth to my touch. I watched her in amazement as she counted them, I felt as if I were at the end of the rainbow and this was the pot of silver. How excited i was sitting there and sharing the mystical moment with them.

After she counted all the coins, just for a moment, she was quiet, and a sad look covered her face. I thought she was going to cry, then she smiled, kissed him and me on the cheek and said, tomorrow is another day and I'm sure there will be more then.

It seemed like hundreds of coins to my childish mind, and yet she was sad, I was confused by this.
As I think back on that moment now I realize they were only one day from being on the street.
What a hard life it must have been for them, but never an unkind word or a quick snap at one another, only loving polite regard for each other. I have never felt more love then or since.

I wish I could remember their name, but search my mind as I do, none comes to me.
How I left there or where I went after, remains a blank in my memoy, but I can still close my eyes and feel the magic of those silver, shining, clinking, coins and those two special people and their friend.