a few days ago at work, an elderly man stormed into the coffee shop and hurried inside, bypassing the line. he came directly to me, and set a blow pop on the counter. i chuckled and said "thank you." he didn't chuckle. he was serious. deadly serious. we shared a moment of eye contact but there wasn't a lot of life in his eyes. i realized he hadn't given me the blow pop out of generosity. it was some sort of compulsion. i stopped chuckling. he turned around and scuttled out the door.
it was amazing. and it brightened my day tenfold. but wait, there's more: my friend/co-worker, rob, informed me that the man is a local legend. rumor has it he was the inspiration for the title character in Rain Man. apparently, he used to come into our coffee shop and lock himself in the restroom for upwards of forty-five minutes. people claim he would be in there cleaning the restroom.
this information brightened my day one-hundredfold. i felt special. i don't understand the significance of the blow pop but i like to imagine that Rain man specifically chose me to be the new carrier of this mystical bubblegum-filled lollipop.
1 comment:
oh man, and to think i almost yoinked that blow-pop off your coffee table the other night! i saw it and i wanted it for myself. good thing i am not like that!
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