Whenever I drop Cruz off with his Papa, I head over there and set up shop for a couple hours. Yes, a couple hours!
I have become that weird person that sits in Starbucks alone for hours!
I never thought I would see the day.
jmmmmmmmmmmm
.…÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ \\\\\\÷÷≤ deccqdsdscs
(compliments of Cruz. He loves to blog)
Some days I feel all pathetic-y and lame.
Some days, hours and hours can pass and I barely even notice them going.
Other times I just sit and miss Cruz.
On those days, people watching helps.
It's amazing, the people that come into this place. And how much you can gauge about a person just by watching them during this daily activity.
I've seen almost everything (still on the look out for my some day husband, Gerard Butler. And Oprah).
From the cliche teenage couple sitting on top of each other...even though the entire couch is free.
To the heated political and economical debates. My favorite are the people that come in to complain about the prices. But still order a drink. Shut up already. Your caffeine addiction is your own fault, my friend.
But, last week I met the woman that, hands down, takes the cake for my absolute perfect strange interaction.
I'm not usually super friendly to people I don't know. I'm not rude by any means. But I kind of dread interacting with people I don't know. I get sort of flustered and nothing I say ever seems authentic. I kind of go into auto-pilot and say really irrelevant, embarrassing, rambling sort of things. Its the same as my fear of answering the door for unknown door-bell-ringers. All around just not my favorite experience.
But this day I was feeling a little bit outgoing. So instead of curling up in my favorite chair and doing my best to blend in with the decor, I sent out "talk to me" vibes.
And talk to me, she did.
Her name was Karen.
She has OCD (I got the full rundown and example of all her rituals). She could barely finish one incoherent thought without starting another. She got mad when I couldn't keep up with the conversation. She was absolutely aghast at the cost of my laptop. She didn't think that Cruz was very cute. She's been married 6 times.
Basically, she was epic.
This was exactly the kind of lady I needed to pass a couple hours with. I didn't have to do much talking. I didn't feel at all threatened by her or anxious to get away from her. She was the days perfect companion.
That being said, she was absolutely NUTS. Like bonkers. Delirious. Insane. So far out of the realm of lucidity that she could have been from another planet.
Maybe she was.
We talked of all things wonderful and silly and unimportant.
Like ghost hunters.
The astronomical sign of every member of my extended family.
Whether or not her hair looked good in a braid.
The name of every dog (15) she has ever owned.
Why her brother won't bring her the spare key when she locks herself out of her car. How her doctor said that she is, under no circumstances, allowed to drink caffeine (as she sips coffee???).
How no man will ever date me because I have a kid.
Where do I think she should go to meet men.
Her scalp.
What Cruz should be for halloween.
Her wavering Christian faith (she met a man at church who she went out with twice. Which, come to find out, means she "got a little funky" with him twice. "But not the whole deed or anything." So, obviously, she can't go to church anymore because "people will talk").
Did I mention she was about 65-70? Years of age!
More or less, it was the most eventful Sunday afternoon I have had in quite some time.
Starbucks is kicking me out as we speak (arent these places supposed to stay open, like, infinitely?)
So I'll end this one with a big thank you to Mrs. ("I dont care if I'm divorced. That man took everything from me so I'll be damned if I'm not keeping the bastards name") Karen. Continue to spread the love and tell your story to poor, unsuspecting strangers.
Party on, Garth.
I love people watching in cafes, and I also talk to the customers too. Isn't it funny how you can share so much with a stranger.
ReplyDeleteBTW- you will sooo find a man that will date you with a kid. I've been involved with several since my divorce.
My favorite Starbuck's experience was with my daughter. She and I were inside and there was a guy right outside our window drinking coffee and drawing a comic strip. Layla couldn't keep her eyes off of him and he became endeared by her attention. I kept wanting to go outside and talk to him and find out if he was a comic strip writer or just did it for fun, but I never did.
That such a sweet starbucks story! I'm coming to really enjoy my little jaunts at SB.
ReplyDeleteAnd its really reassuring to hear that you have had such success in the dating department. Obviously, I didnt put much stock by Crazy Karen's opinions, but I'll admit that it has been a secret worry of mine. Its a scary thought, but it helps to know that others are getting out there and that men are (hopefully) willing to look past the baby attached to my hip (and boob) and actually see me as a person!!