Purple Light Bakery Detour

Every Tuesday the traffic light at Elm and Vine switches to purple for exactly seven minutes. Drivers brake then ease forward into the bakery parking lot. A woman in a yellow coat emerges with a bag of croissants and places one on each hood. The cars reverse out in perfect sync, crumbs trailing behind like confetti. The light returns to red without comment. A single green icing smear remains on the crosswalk.