The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
Parking Lot Pep Talk
I’m not looking forward to shopping. I am almost never looking forward to shopping. This is a benefit of living abroad with one suitcase– I can’t acquire new things since the suitcase is already full. However, to fill the suitcase before a journey takes some planning, so I dragged myself out.
In the parking lot, I exited my car at the same time as a seventy-something man from his white sedan. He said aloud, “Let’s rock and roll! Let’s do this!”
I laughed a little, and he turned to me with a surprised look. I didn’t want to embarrass him for talking to himself, so I shrugged and shared the pain. “I also need to get amped up to go shopping.” He turned red, his mouth fell open, he moved very slowly.
Just then an elementary-aged girl exited his car and took his hand, “Let’s go, Grandpa!” She had a kitten t-shirt and bright pink shoes. She looked at me with her eyebrow up, studying the stranger talking to her grandpa in the parking lot. Yet, he gave me a look of commiseration as we set out upon our chores.
–Colorado.
Here I am with my Grandpa. We never went to Kohl’s together.
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
Paige, I mean this in the most complimentary of ways – your short stories and insights remind me of the linguistic version of “Humans of New York”. I so enjoy your offerings and insights, taking a peek at the extraordinary tucked neatly inside the seemingly ordinary.
Ironically, this little piece hit home for me when I read the bit about a full suitcase. We’re all on a journey, and sometimes we need to take inventory of what’s in our suitcase and decide whether it still belongs there. Or maybe, on rare occasions, it is better to get a bigger suitcase. Yep, this time around I’m thinking that’s the way to go.
Perhaps you never visited Kohl’s, but I am sure you visited many other more magical lands with your grandpa over the years (thinking fondly of some of my own adventures with my grandfather) 😉
Thanks, as always, Paige, and best wishes for an inspired day, full of pep 🙂
I thought I was the only one who said “let’s rock and roll”