Elder Pair

It was the seemingly uncertain shuffle in the woman's walk that caused me to wonder if all was okay.

My concern grew when I got got close enough to ascertain the age of the woman.  Though wrapped in an over-sized fleece jacket and knit hat, it was evident she was elderly.

Perhaps as old in human years as the dog at her feet was in dog years.

It turned out the arthritic dog was the reason for the woman's shuffle. The knock kneed, sway hipped animal could barely manage the effort of putting one paw in front of the other. The woman was forced into a scuffing walk just to avoid running her pet down.

No doubt it was uncharitable of me, but I found myself wondering which of the pair would collapse first.

In the end, realizing the sun was moving across sky faster than the elder pair were moving down the road, I left them to their own devices in the hopes that all would turn out well.