Featured Story - The Man by Kari Burgess

The first I noticed about the man across the seating area at the train station was that he could not sit still. His constant motion drew my attention.  First he would cross his legs then put both feet on the floor and sit erect. 

I was supposed to be reading a book; however, I could not take my eyes off of him.  Peaking from behind the pages of my book I took a better look.  He was immaculately dressed in dark pressed trousers and a crisp white dress shirt open at the throat, his dark leather jacket carelessly tossed across the back of the adjoining chair.

His face was dark, with a day’s growth of beard, his salt and pepper hair was tousled where he constantly ran his fingers through it.  His eyes were a startling aqua blue, made more apparent as they were constantly darting across the room.  His face should have been strikingly handsome, but the worry lines, pinched lips and scowling brow nullified any trace of welcome or contemplation of handsome.   He was not approachable.

Suddenly he grabbed a briefcase and his jacket and began to pace through the aisles and around the milling people.  Each time a train arrival or departure was announced, the man would pause to listen then resume his pacing.  He was a tall, over 6’2” or better, broad at the shoulders, narrow hips, slim but not skinny.  He moved with a military erectness.  Pacing with a lithe, smooth movement as the expressions on his face would tense and then smooth out with a shake of his head much like a caged lion.

He constantly looked at the watch on his arm, then pulled out his phone-glance at it and then put it back.   Something was up---but what?