I went for a short run through Wellesley Square on Christmas morning after the first round of presents were opened, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but some strange sights.
First, I parked on a side street facing Central Street. I’m sitting in my car when I notice this guy acting squirrelly, pacing back and forth in front of a real estate office with his head on a swivel. After five or six trips back and forth, he finally bends down and grabs the red plastic-wrapped newspaper, stuffs it into a plastic garbage bag and retreats to his car in the parking lot behind the row of stores and drives off.
I then proceed to run along Central Street, noticing that gift shop Different Drummer is closing down, soon to be another vacant Wellesley Square storefront for at least some period of time.
I then run around the corner and see a young woman, maybe 20 years old, walking along Linden Street sobbing. I ask if she’s OK, but she looks away.
Getting more and more depressed as I went along, my spirits were finally lifted when I spotted a snowman in front of the police station and then saw people trickling into St. Paul’s Church for a service.