BURGER SCOOT

Tom was a soft-spoken, friendly IT analyst, and I would deliver mail and intra-agency communiques to him many times a week way back in the Nineties.

Another thing about Tom is that he has a prosthesis on his right forearm.

One cold morning, while walking to my favorite coffee shop, my over-sized down parka on, I saw Tom walking towards me and I did what I always did when wearing this and other jackets that were too long in the arms, I lifted my arm but did not bother to push out my hand and waved at him.

I might have given Tom the impression that I was mocking a gentle one-armed man whose only crime was to smile at me as we were about to pass.

The second I did it, I was horrified, but what was I to do, chase him down and tell him the jacket was too big for me and that I often keep my hands in place and out of sight out of laziness.

I now prefer insulated vests, lest I see another friendly person with a prosthetic arm.