A casual stroll through Boston carries unexpected encounters. Celebrations for India Independence Day were at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River on August 16, 2009. I expected saffron colors and joyful noises of Bhangra performances. Riding Bus 39 on my way there, another kind of celebration got my attention. Children and their parents were splashing in the fountain of the Christian Science Plaza at sunset. Taking a small detour, I jumped off the bus early to go photograph.
A young girl in a bright yellow dress covered her face in the spray of an arc of water. Nile posed for her mother Sharon Clemons to take the photograph.
A Christian Science Plaza security guard in blue shirt and khaki pants pulled me aside to warn about copyright. Fine, I'll just go. Walking from the Prudential Center I passed the Boston Public Library. I felt in my satchel for my book loan, The Places in Between by Rory Stewart. But the book was missing.
Speed walking, I retraced all my steps back to the fountain. Thoughts of young children taking the book home or worse, the book getting soaked in a puddle, raced through my mind in time with my footsteps. I walked straight up to a guard at the Christian Science Plaza. Find my book? Yes, he rescued my book from theft, loss, and water damage. The enforcer of photography copyright had transformed into a guardian of literature. This summer night he became my knight in shining armor.
My return to the fountain gave another young stranger a second chance to introduce himself. Nicolas Del Aguila, an aspiring percussionist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, arrived to Boston the day before. That morning he had an audition at the Berklee College of Music. He was excited to exchange the winter of Buenos Aires for summer in Boston. We walked to India Day together. He got his first view of the Charles River. A train chugged over Longfellow Bridge. Indian families watched the sunset.
We made it to the Hatch Shell in time for the last performance. Barefoot dancers in golden saffron and lime green silks danced. This city just gave another joyful summer night.
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A young girl in a bright yellow dress covered her face in the spray of an arc of water. Nile posed for her mother Sharon Clemons to take the photograph.
A Christian Science Plaza security guard in blue shirt and khaki pants pulled me aside to warn about copyright. Fine, I'll just go. Walking from the Prudential Center I passed the Boston Public Library. I felt in my satchel for my book loan, The Places in Between by Rory Stewart. But the book was missing.
Speed walking, I retraced all my steps back to the fountain. Thoughts of young children taking the book home or worse, the book getting soaked in a puddle, raced through my mind in time with my footsteps. I walked straight up to a guard at the Christian Science Plaza. Find my book? Yes, he rescued my book from theft, loss, and water damage. The enforcer of photography copyright had transformed into a guardian of literature. This summer night he became my knight in shining armor.
My return to the fountain gave another young stranger a second chance to introduce himself. Nicolas Del Aguila, an aspiring percussionist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, arrived to Boston the day before. That morning he had an audition at the Berklee College of Music. He was excited to exchange the winter of Buenos Aires for summer in Boston. We walked to India Day together. He got his first view of the Charles River. A train chugged over Longfellow Bridge. Indian families watched the sunset.
We made it to the Hatch Shell in time for the last performance. Barefoot dancers in golden saffron and lime green silks danced. This city just gave another joyful summer night.
[gallery link="file" columns="2"]