Monday, April 4, 2011

IT'S SO (not) NICE TO MEET YOU

If curiosity killed the cat
Then I’ve been warned…
I should have left my curiosity well enough alone.
Many blog posts ago…
I wrote about a man with the Fedora in my neighborhood
I'd always seen him walking—everywhere
Around grocery stores, gas stations, neighborhoods
And looking dapper with each stride.
Well, last weekend my writer group,
Hosted a book lovers event at our local library…
To celebrate the love of writing and reading romantic fiction.
It was a meet ‘n’ greet the public kind of event where we offered:
Book giveaways, book readings by published authors, & refreshments.
And whatta ya know…
This man with the fedora showed up.
And so I went up and greeted him.
He looked at my name tag and, with sparkling eyes said, “Leigh, nice to meet you." 
I heard nothing further he said, my mind having gone to mush…
Not by his mushy sentiment…
But by the pungent smell of his breath. Garlic? Booze? Both?
And then there was his hollow yet piercing eyes!
I took a step backwards trying to discern.
As he rambled on and on and on and on
I realized that while his voice was there, his mind wasn’t.
I didn’t know whether to feel sad or not…
Because he seemed perfectly happy in his world…
And who’s to say my world is any better than his?
I guess not only truth is stranger than fiction…
But strangers are stranger than fiction.
I wish now I hadn’t learned the truth about him.
It was more fun making up scenarios about him.
What about you?
Ever have a fantasy about a stranger?
Only to be disappointed…
When you find out they’re not the person you thought they were?

Always, 
Em-Musing

5 comments:

Linda N.J. Szymanski said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

This is an interesting story. I can't say that this has happened to me, at least not recently, but I have met a lot of interesting characters along the way!

Jennifer Shirk said...

You made me chuckle a little at your mind going to mush from his breath and not the sentiment. :-)

I haven't had that happen but it happened to my mom when she went to see a Broadway show. She said everyone fell in love with the lead guy so she and her friends waited outside to get his autograph. Well, when he came out he wasn't ANYTHING like his stage character and even talked a little...effeminate. She was SO disappointed!! :)

Erin MacPherson said...

Ha!! I can't say I've ever met a stranger like that, but it makes an interesting poem!

Samantha Vérant said...

Yes. The man with the Yellow Hat. Oh wait, he's in Curious George. And that's the only thing I can think of. Sorry you got a bit creeped out!