Close Encounter

A man sat next to me this morning at Starbucks. This was the type of person I would see in LA, but not in Orange County. He has a very interesting face. A square jaw on a tanned face. Crazy wisps of white hair going in twenty different directions. Dressed all in black with a big coat, standing about 5 foot 6. He sits down next to me and starts blowing his nose. OK, I think, everyone has the right to get things out of their nose. At first the territorial instinct kicks in, I’m not leaving buddy, not matter how much stuff you blow out of that nose. But then I relax, maybe he is just a guy with a stuffy nose. We can just get along. Next he stuns me by getting up and going to pick up a newspaper from the rack. He stands in the long line at the counter and pays for the paper. He sits back down and starts to mumble-read the newspaper. OK, this guy definitely belongs in LA. I decide to not let it bother me. Maybe we both just need proximity to people. That’s the reason I’m here isn’t it. I could have picked up my Venti and NY Times, and trundled back to my apartment, 2 blocks away. But, no, I need to be close to people, for a part of my day. Just like him. Strange as it may sound I enjoyed my 20 minutes of reading the paper with him. I hope he is there tomorrow.