by Nivi Engineer

It's #tbt! Enjoy this great one from SWWIM Every Day's archives!

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He approaches with pen and paper,
asks for my name and number.
I indulge him
his daily ritual;
I’m a stranger, after all
and he, gracious host,
offers donuts I refuse.
So to this small request, how can I say no?
He writes my name
then—digit by digit—jots it down,
a number he hasn’t dialed in months,
a quest for connection,
a map to a road he’ll never drive.
But tomorrow, I know,
he may discover the paper in the pocket
of the pants he’s reluctant to change.
And if I’m here when he does it,
he’ll at least marvel at the coincidence.
But this time,
he asks—
unlike before—
“Whose child are you?”
I reply, watching his face.
“Yours.”
And the joyous smile, the marvel,
is enough.

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Nivi Engineer earned degrees in English (BA from Case Western Reserve University), Computer Science (MS from Washington University in St. Louis), and Fiction (MFA from Spalding University), and is actively pursuing CAPM certification while slowly learning Korean. She is the author of Can We Throw the Colors Yet?, a children’s book about Holi, and The Indian Girl’s Definitive Guide to Staying Single, Jaathi, and numerous short stories. She appeared in two episodes of the “Once Upon a Disney” podcast and recently presented a talk about “The Joy of Failure” at a Women in Computing conference. 

by Nivi Engineer

He approaches with pen and paper,

asks for my name and number.

I indulge him

his daily ritual;

I’m a stranger, after all

and he, gracious host,

offers donuts I refuse.

So to this small request, how can I say no?

He writes my name

then—digit by digit—jots it down,

a number he hasn’t dialed in months,

a quest for connection,

a map to a road he’ll never drive.

But tomorrow, I know,

he may discover the paper in the pocket

of the pants he’s reluctant to change.

And if I’m here when he does it,

he’ll at least marvel at the coincidence.

But this time,

he asks—

unlike before—

“Whose child are you?”

I reply, watching his face. 

“Yours.”

And the joyous smile, the marvel,

is enough.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Nivi Engineer (yes, that really is her last name) is the author of The Indian Girl's Definitive Guide to Staying Single. Her work appears in The Louisville Review, Crack the Spine, Belletrist, Page and Spine, and other literary journals. She's spent way too much time in school: BA in English from Case Western Reserve University, MS in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis, MFA in Fiction from Spalding University. Which come in handy as she drives her kids to soccer all around the Greater Cleveland area, where she lives with her husband, 3 sons, and dog.