yesterday, stopped for coffee and some sugar at one of the local cafes.
An older guy comes in, humming tunelessly. Starts shucking off the coat. Mid-shuck, he suddenly wheels on me:
"WHAT is THAT -fantastic- THING?"
I swallow. "Um. Chocolate cupcake."
"It's a CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE!! My GOD."
sadly, he doesn't indulge in one himself. places his order. then, the humming turns into singing, and then, LOUD singing:
"Ave...ave ave ave...ave Mar-eeee-eeee---aaaAAAAAAAAA..."
The counterpeople are giggling openly, but then they seem to do that pretty often anyway. Guy keeps going, seamlessly shifting in the same off-key:
"Iiiiii'm dreeeming of a-ofawhiiiiiiiite....Christmaassss...."
By now I've given up trying to read my book, and am just watching to see what happens when he starts to eat. Sure enough:
(a bit quieter, but not much)
"Iiiiiii'm..." (slurp) "dreaming, of a whiiiiiiite..." (mouthful of sandwich, pause, swallows) "Christmaaassssss..."
I think the counterpeople are probably wetting themselves. No one else seems to even notice, although of course everyone does; it's the same dynamic as happens on the subway. The woman who's been steadily reading and drinking coffee all through this looks up, casually, at some point; i catch her eye and we both smile. Briefly. Then--too much eye contact, I might be as crazy as he is--she's back to the book, hardly missing a beat.
As I'm getting my shit together to go, the guy's finished his food and, as he goes to throw away his plates, starts boogieing to the radio (yes, the radio's been playing all this time as well. Loudly. Not Christmas carols. Top 40). Goes he, to one of the counterpeople,
"Care to dance?"
She shakes her head, laughing.
I give him credit for gender equity, he makes the same offer to the other counterperson, a dude, (with his arms full of trash bags)
"Shall we dance?"
Counterdude: "Hell, no."
Doesn't seem to faze him. I get the hell out of there before he notices me--hell, I love to dance, I might actually say yes...
As I'm leaving, I hear:
"Is that all there is...if that's all there is, my friend, then let's BREAK OUT THE BOOZE!..."
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17 comments:
is it strange that i think this guy sounds wonderful?
-elle
nope.
I think I'm modifying my life goals to include someday being absolutely out of touch with reality. It sounds lovely, really.
Beautiful moment.
I must be totally agreein' with Cheryl. Bein' "absolutely out of touch with reality" sounds quite delicious.
Belle Dame, care t'dance?
Aye aye, cap'n!
I love people like that, and almost always dance with them. They make me feel so...much closer to the midline of normal.
Awesome.
Wonder if he's always like that, or if it was just one of those days...
You should've offered to dance with him!
This kind of thing is one of the reasons I love NYC so much. I mean where else would it be...well, just a normal part one's day?
On a completely un-related topic, does anyone else try to read the blogger "word" verifications as some kind of secret message?
This one is zcurwhf. I'm coming up with Zack, you're a white female! Not that it makes sense, but I can't help it...
"feathery" religions? Quetzalcoatl worship? what?
"On a completely un-related topic, does anyone else try to read the blogger "word" verifications as some kind of secret message?"
Constantly. I've had ones that sound like sneezes, and one that sound like a threat of disembowelment from Cthulu. It's enough to make a girl nervous.
The one right here sez "dukuby" Probably some obscure sex toy we WASP's never hear about.
That tale made me smile. Lovely.
wxnuq. No message there. Or is there?
This is where my son comes in handy and I suppose is a way in which he pays for his rent...at least until he's a preteen and decides his mother is the most embarrassing thing on the face of this earth and I have to hide my true identity for his sake. I happen to have fondness for canned music and will break into dance in stores and parking lots where it's piped. Not just dance but song and dance. My son is a willing dance (stumbling, giggling) partner and happy accomplice. I primed him from when he could sit up in a grocery cart, putting it through its dance paces down the aisles of grocery stores and putting on shows for him that kept him entertained and giggling.
i love that, idyllopus
I thought the guy sounded wonderful and wacky and totally un-weird. I wish there were more people "out of touch with reality" like this.
If we had all been there, we would have danced!?
And I LOVE that song "Is that all there is...if that's all there is, my friend, then let's BREAK OUT THE BOOZE!..." Peggy Lee uh ?
Wish I'd been there!
hey dd! happy to see you here.
you know, on another day i might've danced, but i was cold and irritable and wanted to get home to me bed. so it goes.
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