A little old man with a cane boards the bus one laborious step at time. He’s about 70 and wearing a blue jacket with matching cap. He turns toward me; the front of his cap says, “Old School.”

On the sidewalk, there is a woman kneeling before a plastic Jack O’ Lantern–the kind kids use for trick-or-treating. She has a strand of Mardi Gras beads wrapped around her palm like rosary beads, and she’s intently flipping through a small, green Bible. Every so often, she genuflects to the little plastic pumpkin. Lady, I hope you get a lot of candy this year.