Heartbreaking

The other night in downtown Providence, on Kennedy Plaza, I saw an older homeless couple. The man was carrying several heavy bags, and the woman was pulling a carriage. They crossed the street slowly, with slightly shuffling steps. On the other side, as the woman was having trouble pulling her carriage up, the man turned to her, saw what was delaying her, gently took the handle from her and pulled the carriage up the curb. They then resumed their share of the load and their slow walk.

A few minutes later, I saw them again, wandering back by the park, indistinct in the shadows but recognizable by their uncertain gait, before they finally disappeared out of sight.