The week had not been nice to Ludwig, so on Friday he stepped outside his office building to get some coffee, pulling his scarf closer around his neck against the cold. Outside was windier than he had expected and it was tempting to turn around and just get some over-priced coffee from the shop inside, but he was already out and the walk would do him good. At the stop light, another tall man grumbled to himself as he dug for something in his bag and Ludwig watched him out of the corner of his eye, wondering idly what he was looking for. Whatever it was must have been found for the man stopped and turned to face the street with a smile, clearly in a better mood. When the light turned for them to walk, the other man left Ludwig on the corner, his long legs carrying him ahead of Ludwig. It wasnt in a rush to get back to his desk and the paperwork he owed, so he let the other man stride ahead of him as he wanted. They were both stopped at the next light, he stood next to the scarfed man again, getting left behind again to watch him walk for lack of anything better to watch. Not many people were out at this time.

As the tall man walked ahead, he side-stepped another person and walked straight into a streetlamp, hard enough that Ludwig could hear the thud of his forehead meeting metal. He staggered away from it as Ludwig laughed so hard he had to close his eyes and wipe away a tear. A sudden burst of pain and he was stopped, eyes opening to find he had run into the same pole. The tall man was standing off to the side, now laughing.

"Teach me to laugh at the misfortune of others, huh?" he managed.

"True, but it was a very good thing to laugh at. Do you have time for a coffee?"