I was having a reasonably successful day out on my corner, when two nice looking people walked up to me. They wanted to chat! One shorter rounder man was holding a pink tea cup. The other had on a shirt that said, “Made by Free Women.”
Mysteriously, I knew I could trust them! (Giggle)
“Made by Free Women” asked me, “How long have you been on this corner?”
“Not long,” I answered. “I had to find a good spot for morning hours because I got heat exhaustion too easily.”
He said, “I remember you from the other day, because you smiled directly at me. It is so good to see a Contributor vendor who is smiling.”
“Yes, I think, largely because of the car, people are very lonely,” I said. “Disconnected from each other and from their neighbors. I’d like to think that even a momentary connection helps people feel connected.”
Rosa Taza looked at me very kindly and said, “It’s nice to meet you.” He told me his name, and I told him mine. Then my curiosity overcame me and I said, “You’re holding a pink tea cup!”
“Yes,” he said.
“It looks like a cup our grandmothers would have had,” I said. “So are you taking it to a special person or a child?”
“No,” he said. “I just like tea cups.”
“Oh that’s so sweet!” I exclaimed. “So do I. It’s a weird thing because I can’t really hang onto them for very long, what with all the disruption and moving and camping out and all that.” They both nodded. “I like to remember what a friend of mine once put on a button. It said, ‘The one who plays with the most toys wins.’ He meant, not the one who dies with the most things!”
Everybody laughed.
Then I turned to “Made by Free Women” and said, “That is a great saying on your shirt. I want one of those. What brand is that?”
He laughed and said, “That is the brand-name.”
“You young’uns are so … clever!” I said.
We laughed some more, and they left. Later, Rosa Taza drove up, bought some papers and promised to read my articles.
So I had a wonderful day. Thank you dear customers, you are the biggest sweethearts.