Ladybug

I decided to go to yoga just as I was telling my wife that I would be going home to do my taxes after work. I pocketed my cell phone and spotted a red dot in the sideshoot of a poorly-pruned palm tree. I crossed the driveway to see it. It was a catsup orange ladybug, half the usual ladybug size, no speckles. I’d seen a black ladybug with red spots earlier in the day, but I couldn’t remember where. This morning with Benjie or at lunch? Landing on my fingertip or crossing my windshield at the gas station?

I lingered at work as my coworkers started getting chatty, then stepped out and walked around to the yoga studio next door. I found the meditation room and sat down, propping myself up with a block. Another student came in, rolled out her mat, and sat. Half an hour later, an older woman came in and turned up the lights. When she saw us she took the other student aside and told her something. The other student returned to her mat, rolled it up, and left. I sat for a few minutes longer before I got up and walked away.