One More Block
u201cSometimes you only notice a place after you’ve stopped looking for somewhere to go.u201d
By Marcus Tan
I was already supposed to be there.
The route was familiar. The turn was familiar. Even the traffic light ahead seemed to arrive at the same moment it always did.
Then I kept walking.
Just one more block.
The buildings became quieter. The shops were smaller. A few tables appeared beneath a sheltered walkway, occupied by people who seemed to have nowhere else to be.
I slowed down.
There was a food stall at the end of the row.
No large sign caught my attention. Nothing suggested that I should stop. But there was something about the movement around itu2014the steady exchange between the counter and the tablesu2014that made me pause.
I ordered something simple.
Then I sat.
From there, the street looked different.
People passed occasionally. A bicycle moved through the walkway. Someone carried a takeaway bag toward the flats nearby.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
That was probably why I stayed.
The place did not feel like somewhere I had discovered.
It felt like somewhere that had been quietly continuing without me.
When I eventually left, I walked the same extra block back toward the main road.
It was only a few minutes longer than my usual route.
But sometimes, one more block is enough to change what you notice.