A vendor pulled up to one of the park benches with his stall. The night was young and people are always hungry. Especially, he grinned to himself, after they caught a whiff of food as good as his floating in the air. He took a pair of wooden wedges out from one of his bulging trouser pockets, bent down beside the cart and threw them next to the wheels. Still on his haunches, he opened up the back of the cart and drew out some napkins, a collection of neon coloured plastic bottles of sauces, and cans of soda with different logos. He placed each in their own groups on the floor around him. When he was done, he stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and began to arrange them on the left side of the cart lid. He was short and stocky but the muscles in his arms revealed a lifetime of pushing and pulling a full cart around the city. His preparations were smooth and relaxed, like a performer rehearsing an old routine.
“She’s a beaut tonight, isn’t she?” He asked the young man on the bench as he flipped two covers open and wafts of aromatic steam billowed out into the night air. A passerby slowed to a stop, turning their head to find the source and looking at the cart with a mix of curiosity and hope. “They say,” he continued, glancing up briefly at Ellie, “that everyone sees her differently. “All Eyes look to Her but not All See Her”.” He chuckled to himself, stirring the contents of the two containers and releasing more steam. A small crowd of hungry-eyed customers had begun to gather.
“So tell me, how does she look to you?”
The young man did not respond immediately. The vendor pressed a button on the side of the cart and a hologram of a red and white pinstripe umbrella appeared above them, complete with blinking yellow OPEN sign.
Before he started the first shift, he looked over to the young man and found that he had lifted himself out of his slump and was staring at the tower. He turned to the vendor and simply said;
“Blue”