Two Worlds Collide

She drives up in a sedan to the gas station. She is dressed impeccably in a crisp business suit, a petite pearl necklace encasing her slender neck. Her hair is tied in a neat bun, the red stilettos signifying power and success.

She pushes the empty trash can across the parking lot. Her hair is tucked under a baseball hat, loose strands covering her weary face, unmanageable due to a strong gust of wind. One can tell she is an employee of the gas station from the logoed tee-shirt, once red but now faded. Her ill-fitting jeans smudged with oil and dirt is frayed at the ends showing well worn sneakers with untied laces. She picks up the big bag of trash, notices the lady filling up the gas tank.

Their eyes meet, faces show faint signs of recognition but they both look away unable to place each other.

Two women separated by class and stature, belonging to distinctly parallel worlds. Yet, there is a discernible but thin thread of commonality that binds them.

Their kids are in the same classroom at the local public school.