Friday, March 28, 2008

Odd characters

A few years ago, I started making notes whenever I noticed odd characters or events in public, thinking some day I might use them in a book.

Haven't done that for a while.

But I just had to share something. I'm sitting across from a man at Starbucks. I'd guess he's about seventy, but might be younger. He's wearing eighties style big glasses and a paper-boy type navy cap. He's tucked a paper napkin into the buttoned except for the very top button plaid shirt that he's wearing over navy slacks. He came in wearing a decent, clean looking, Columbia sportswear ski jacket over top.
He has one of those metal framed grocery carriers with him. He bought a venti size of some kind of tea. To doctor it, he took his own liter of Silk soy milk out of his carrier and something else that looks like pepper, but I'm not sure. Must be a sweetener of some kind stored in an spice jar? Then... he took out an entire pumpkin pie and has proceeded to eat almost half of it -- straight from the pie tin with a plastic fork. Did I point out that he might weigh a hundred pounds? Tiny man. And he's not eating quickly. Just taking casual bites of pie in between looking at his paper and sipping his tea.

What's his story? I should run a contest. :-)

I should get back to my WIP, that's what I should do.

4 comments:

J.K. Coi said...

Oh Maureen, I can just see him. I think that maybe his wife has gone away for a long weekend away, perhaps to visit the grandchildren. He’s always loved pumpkin pie, but since his wife is deathly allergic to all types of gourds—especially that butternut, which is a shame because what he wouldn’t give for some spicy squash soup—he only indulges when she is out of town. This morning, he rushed to get dressed so that he could get his pie, only to realize that he couldn’t bring it back home with him to enjoy because the painters were supposed to be there any minute. Yep, he’s a caring husband who has arranged for a reality decorating show to redo the master bedroom before his wife gets back on Sunday evening. He tried to provide the television show with some guidelines, tried to tell them what his wife would probably like to see—she’s a fan of pink damask and tea roses—but the producer said that they had a great plan already, involving lots of “clean lines” and chocolate brown.

And so here he sits enjoying his tea and the pie he has longed for since the last time his wife was away, which was roughly six months ago when she went on that charter bus tour to Graceland with her sister.

He looks peaceful. Too bad his wife’s going to throw him out when she gets home and sees her bedroom. Oh well, at least then he’ll be able to eat his pumpkin pie anytime he wants.

:)

Maureen McGowan said...

Oh, J.K. That's hilarious! You had me laughing out loud (and I'm still at Starbucks). He finished his pie a while ago, pulled a navy sweater on over his red and navy plain shirt, and left...

I miss him.

J.K. Coi said...

Thanks Maureen. I love doing that exercise. So much fun!

I'm trying to stop being a lurker, lol. So I'll tell you how much I love coming by your blog.

See you at the next TRW meeting! (hopefully)

Maureen McGowan said...

Thanks, J.K.

Maybe the May meeting... I'm going to be in Boston for the April meeting...

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