... and you never know if someone will try and break your mood and steal your Chi, or bring a small smile to your face and revive your outlook
Eariler this week, Cookie had been in contact here in Cleveland that knew the same people my family knew. He wanted to meet for coffee, so I said OK. I told the husband where I was and that I would call him after I left because I needed to stop by the market and pick up some stuff. So I got in the car, schlepped to Fairmount Circle, plunked myself down, and waited. And waited. And waited.
The weather outside was delightful, sunny, and warm. It felt so good. After waiting and waiting, I was about ready to leave.
Finally, Mr. TTOQ showed up. For the next hour and a half, I could not get a word in edgewise. The people we both knew from the old days had been friends of my parents. In my memory, lovely people. But in his book, they were all assholes, bitches, or creeps. Each of them had ruined some part of his life. His career. His Money, His Children. His ex-wife. His love of the arts. His business partner. His next door neighbor.* On and on.
I sat. And I listened - I did not tune him out - to how this person and that person disappointed him, personally, professionally, and socially.
Finally, when he caught his breath and asked me about my life, I decided I needed to leave. I knew way too much about his unhappiness, and I didn't think he needed any part of me. He and he alone did this to himself. But some people need to blame others when they are really unhappy with themselves.
From there I ran up to Heinen's, a grocery store on Green Road. I did my shopping and went to return my cart, and in doing so I noticed that many people were simply too distracted to put their carts back correctly, so I cleared up a mess of five carts when a woman behind me said "They ought to hire you." I smiled and we commiserated over those who think the carts magically put themselves away and we got to talking.
She and I were both East Sider natives, both born at Mt. Siani, both grew up in the Heights, and surprisingly, we both lived in Baltimore. She had been there 22 years and left in 2015, so we overlapped. But we lived in Baja Towson, and she was up in Pikesville. We had a lovely talk with many smiles.
For my money, I would have loved to had a cup of coffee with her and not just fifteen minutes. But what a fifteen minutes. We knew the same families, the Woolworths, the Rogoff's, the Oetingers, etc. and more. I mentioned Emery Kritzler's jewelry store which was once located across the street, and she had picked out her engagement ring from him. "Wasn't he a gem of a guy?" she remarked. And he was.
I hope our chat brought as big a smile to her face as it did to mine.
So the day with an hour and a half of bad, was lifted up and out by 15 minutes of good. But both encounters were worth it. You learn a lot about people and how they see life, see others.
Again, another day, and another day I am grateful to be back home.
*This guy lives on an acre lot and he was bitching about his neighbors and the noise, the lawn, the parties, his politics, his religion, and one and on.
