The City Exchange

The streets hummed with the energy of a mid-morning rush. Cars honked in frustration, vendors yelled their prices, and people weaved in and out of the flow, clutching coffee cups and phone screens like lifelines. Among the crowd, a figure stood still for a moment — a passerby who had stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of someone walking briskly in the opposite direction.

The passerby adjusted their hat and, with a half-smile and a raised voice to cut through the city noise, called out, “Hey! How’s the weather?”

The question landed like a misplaced jigsaw piece.

The other figure — head held high, steps purposeful — paused mid-stride. A peal of laughter erupted, clear and unrestrained, drawing glances from the hurried pedestrians. Without breaking stride, they resumed walking, a grin still spread across their face.

“Wait, wait!” The passerby jogged a few steps to catch up, mildly confused but mostly curious. “What’s so funny?”

Turning slightly, the other replied, “Are you okay? What do you mean, how’s the weather?”

“What? It’s just a question,” the passerby said defensively, blinking as though the absurdity wasn’t evident.

“Are you serious?” They gestured broadly to the sky, the pavement, the breeze tugging at coats and scarves. “You don’t have eyes? You can’t see for yourself? Why would I waste time telling you the obvious?”

“I was just trying to — ”

“To what? Burn daylight? Breathe in the carbon dioxide from your own nonsense while the rest of us are out here trying to inhale some fresh air?” They stopped walking now, fully facing the passerby with an incredulous expression. “You want to say something, say it. You’ve got something meaningful, bring it. But don’t stop people on the street to ask if the sky is blue when you’re looking right at it.”

The passerby opened their mouth as if to respond, but then they stopped, glancing up at the sky instinctively. It was a perfect clear day, not a cloud in sight.

The other shook their head and started walking again, muttering just loud enough, “City’s full of characters…”

Behind them, the passerby stood frozen for a moment, absorbing the sudden onslaught of clarity. Then, faintly, as though to themselves, they murmured, “Guess I deserved that.”

The city swallowed them both once more, but one thing was certain: the weather wouldn’t be a topic of conversation again.