“Oh lord, I’ve had enough of these people out here.”

I whispered, pulling my hood down lower. The night was cold, and the street was full of noise. Music came from the bars, people shouted at each other on the corner, and some one was sick by the trash can. My ride was late, and honestly, I was done.

Macula, of course, was chill. He sipped his coffee and laughed. Where I saw chaos, he saw rhythm, like the city only made sense to him. Relax man. It is Saturday night. People are just having fun. Fun? Maybe that’s why we stayed friends. This looks like chaos to me, I said, pointing at the crowd. The lights, the noise, it was all too much. Neon signs flickered and buzzed overhead, painting the street in sharp colors that stabbed at my eyes, red, green, blue. Car headlights swung past, too bright, leaving streaks in my vision. Music blasted from a dozen directions each song competing with the next.

And then out of nowhere, it happened. This little girl, maybe seven years old, broke free from her mom. She was chasing a red balloon that slipped from her hand. Before anyone could stop her, she ran straight into the street. I froze for half a second, then saw headlights cutting around the corner, their glare slicing through the dark. Tires squealing against the wet pavement. At that moment I couldn’t move. Whatout! I yelled, and then my legs finally kicked in. I just ran. I grabbed her arm and yanked her back onto the sidewalk right as the car screeched by, horn blaring. My heart was pounding like crazy. I could feel it in my throat. My breaths came quick and shaky, and my hands would not stay still.

The girl was shaking, still holding her balloon string. Her mom rushed over, crying, hugging her tight. “Thank you, thank you so much!” she said to me over and over. I just stood in the crowds, trying to catch my breath. Macula clapped me on the back with a grin. See? You hate crowds, but you were meant to be here tonight.

The girl looked up at me, then smiled and held out her balloon. She wanted me to take it. I laughed, said no at first, but she kept holding it out. Finally, I took it. And you know what? For a moment, all the noise faded. The yelling, the music, and the light did not matter. What mattered was that she was safe, and I was the reason why.

Maybe I did not have enough of these people after all.