An Act Unobserved

         New York was abuzz, the city bustling with life and activity. Taxies roared by, searching for their next patrons and the sidewalks were crammed with people, elbow to elbow. Movement was everywhere. That was one of the reasons that Andy hated the big city. There was never a quiet moment where you could think to yourself and appreciate the world as is. Andy trudged along, his eyes on his black and green sports sneakers as he shuffled through the crowds of people. Sirens echoed in the distance and somewhere a dog barked only to have its sound muzzled by the commotion of the big city.

         Andy was not a tall man, nor was he all that short, in fact, he thought about it so rarely that he didn't even remember the last time he measured himself. All he knew is that he stood at around the same height as everyone around him, and that didn't bother him any. He had short brown hair that was longer on the top and buzzed around the sides. His black peacoat made his shoulders look broader than they were and that was one of the reasons he liked it; that and because it made it seem like he was wearing something a lot more formal than a blue Superman t-shirt underneath. He was a handsome man and if he tried harder with the "dating scene" then he would surely have no problem finding a mate, but he preferred the solitude of his own company as opposed to the obligations of another's.

         If he hadn't of been looking at the ground while he was walking he probably wouldn't have noticed the man, bent over a storm drain, frantically looking around. At first, he thought that the man was just vomiting after a night of heavy drinking, something that Andy saw all too often in the charming streets of the city. After all, he certainly seemed dressed for the part, with a too-large brown overcoat overtop a stained orange sweater that was littered with moth holes. His scruffy beard was grey and unkempt, and the hair that did poke out from his dark green toque was ungroomed and messy. However, he had an air of desperation that made Andy take interest and walk over to his aid.

         The man tried to get the attention of someone from the crowd but people just brushed by, too involved in their days to notice something out of the ordinary. Finally, when he saw Andy approach he stood up and grabbed his hand. "Please sir, I need your shoelace!". This odd request took Andy a moment to take in and while he did he looked down at his shoes. He had just bought them the other week and they were just broken in. The old man didn't seem so lucky because his shoes were old and in disrepair, each one missing its laces. He was hunched over the storm drain and looked from the drain to Andy every few moments. "My ring, please sir, my ring is down the drain." He pleaded.

         When Andy looked down through the grate he saw only sludge from the past day's rainfall. But then a slight glimmer caught his eye and confirmed the old man's story. With a sigh, Andy bent over and took the laces from his shoe. "Only if I can get it back," Andy said, reluctantly pulling the lace free of its last hole. "Yes, yes, sir! On my honour, I swear!" The man promised and took it carefully from his hands. He tied a quick slipknot in it with expert precision and, while holding one end with a white-knuckled tightness, he cast the knotted end down the drain.

         After five painstaking minutes of watching the man try and fail to grasp the ring with the lace a car swerved a little too close to the sidewalk and blared its horn at the man, causing him to drop the lace down into the sludge. Andy noticed that there were two other laces already down there and he guessed that's what happened with his shoes. The man collapsed at the ground and put his head against the grate. His sobs were unmistakable through his motionless anguish. Andy hesitated for a moment but dug around in his pockets, revealing a small blue paperclip. With the removal of his second lace, he fashioned something of a fish hook with the paperclip and tossed it down. The man still sat in defeat but looked up from his self-pity at Andy's attempt to secure the ring.

         "Don't worry about it, boy, it's useless." He sniffled, now sitting on the curb. Andy kept at it though, and after twenty minutes his efforts were rewarded.The ring held reluctantly on the edge of the paperclip-hook and he began to slowly pull it up. At the sight of this, the old man jumped up in alarm. Slowly he raised it up and brought the ring up to the grate. The man's eyes were as wide as bowling balls watching him and his mouth gaped open like a cartoon character's surprise. When it finally raised to the surface the old man snatched it up in his hands and let out a sigh of relief.

         He hurtled forward into Andy in a large bearhug, making Andy drop his last shoe-string down into the sewers of New York. He hesitated for a moment and jumped back to apologize. Andy just smiled and patted him on the back. He walked away from the old man, in something of a funny pace in efforts to keep his shoes on his feet. He never saw the old man again and never even thought to ask his name. Andy kept this to himself, and never mentioned the old man and his ring to anyone.