Five men were standing along the sidewalk on Mission, shooting the breeze, half sheltered by a restaurant entranceway. As I approached, a woman came toward me, passing the men.

I saw the men's faces change, the talk stopped, so I turned around to see what they were seeing.

She was dressed in black hose and high-heeled black boots and a snug skirt; her full hips swayed to the rhythm of the clicking of her heels. The men stared like children at her retreating figure. They gazed in open wonder. The woman was a gift.