Like a Magnet for Crazy
I have this talent. Okay, maybe it's not a talent. A knack? Whatever. Anyway, it seems that the eccentric or mentally unstable are drawn to me. It amazes my wife how we can go anywhere and the strangest people will walk up to me and strike up a conversation. It's made for some pretty interesting experiences and usually isn't something I'm bothered by in the slightest.
Last evening, we attended Wednesday Night Live as we have most weeks this summer. We went to our usual spot and settled in to take in some tunes.
A scruffy man, obviously drunk, came and sat about 10 feet away from us. He held a small kitten in his lap and smoked a cigarette. He sat there for a few minutes, then asked the young lady next to him if she would mind holding his kitten for a minute. Then, he staggered off for a short while. He returned carrying a chair that he'd taken from the nearby museum. He struck up a conversation with the young lady, offered her the chair, then again left her holding the cat for a while and wandered off. The young lady asked my daughters if they would like to pet the kitten. They both did, briefly, then sat down with us again.
As I watched the man, it occurred to me that I've seen him before. He's always carrying a critter of some kind. I've usually seen him with a rabbit. The last time I'd encountered him, he asked if he could come and clean the windows of our house for money. He became very angry when I said we weren't interested. Normally, I would have given him a couple of bucks, but this dude was just too belligerent.
The scruffy dude wandered around the crowd last night, distributing chairs to women. It could be that he was completely harmless, but the way he always approached women and girls started to trigger the alarms in my head. We warned C not to go over and pet his kitty, but she kept looking over at it. She's a really friendly and trusting kid so it's hard for us to explain why she shouldn't just talk to any person she meets.
I'm having to re-examine my open door policy for eccentrics as well. Having kids changes your life in so many ways.
Last evening, we attended Wednesday Night Live as we have most weeks this summer. We went to our usual spot and settled in to take in some tunes.
A scruffy man, obviously drunk, came and sat about 10 feet away from us. He held a small kitten in his lap and smoked a cigarette. He sat there for a few minutes, then asked the young lady next to him if she would mind holding his kitten for a minute. Then, he staggered off for a short while. He returned carrying a chair that he'd taken from the nearby museum. He struck up a conversation with the young lady, offered her the chair, then again left her holding the cat for a while and wandered off. The young lady asked my daughters if they would like to pet the kitten. They both did, briefly, then sat down with us again.
As I watched the man, it occurred to me that I've seen him before. He's always carrying a critter of some kind. I've usually seen him with a rabbit. The last time I'd encountered him, he asked if he could come and clean the windows of our house for money. He became very angry when I said we weren't interested. Normally, I would have given him a couple of bucks, but this dude was just too belligerent.
The scruffy dude wandered around the crowd last night, distributing chairs to women. It could be that he was completely harmless, but the way he always approached women and girls started to trigger the alarms in my head. We warned C not to go over and pet his kitty, but she kept looking over at it. She's a really friendly and trusting kid so it's hard for us to explain why she shouldn't just talk to any person she meets.
I'm having to re-examine my open door policy for eccentrics as well. Having kids changes your life in so many ways.
posted by ptooey at
4:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home