Lead Me Lead

“Lead me, lead”

He was an extraordinary man who used a cane as his guide. He wasn’t blind though. I can even venture to say that he saw much more than others, although he certainly was not clairvoyant. The first time I saw him was when I rode the bus to my parents’ house. He appeared to be in his fifties, had greasy gray hair, and wore glasses with fairly thick lenses. He weighed too much but moved vigorously. In his outstretched hand, in front of him, he was holding a thick bamboo cane. Its handle was not directed to the front, but down. The cane did not serve him to avoid obstacles like the blind. He used it as if it were a guide. As he got on the bus, I heard him saying, “Lead me, lead.”

The old man was alone. Apparently, his words were addressed to the cane. Naturally, the passengers saw the owner of bamboo, as a madman. It was not crowded, so without any problem people on the bus made a pathway for the man. . The young girl at the sight of him immediately jumped up from her seat giving him space--even that there was another free seat next to her. He took advantage of this eager--in fact doubled it. On the second chair he put his cane with which he began a lively conversation. . He sat down in one seat and put his cane in the other. Then he struck up a lively conversation with bamboo. Throughout the whole trip, no one dared to sit next to the man. When the bus reached the man’s destination, he grabbed his cane, muttering, “Lead me, lead.” The passengers were relieved to see him get off the bus.

    The next time I saw him was three weeks later. I was shopping at the supermarket. There were too many people and not enough cashiers. There were about ten people in each line, already. The atmosphere was getting tense. Nobody was happy about the idea of standing in line for a half-hour to check out; then he appeared. He held the cane out in front of him and again repeated “Lead me, lead.” People cleared a way for him and he easily made his...