Something strange just happened to me. Earlier on I spoke of meeting new people and hearing their stories, and I almost did that just a few minutes ago when I saw what I thought was a man dressed as a pirate in the Walmart I was in.
Initially, I caught a few casual glances; seeing his long Aussie jacket, a black hat, thick hair like a wig, and I was pretty sure I even saw an eye patch. We made eye contact and I gave him the nod. You know the nod, that casual acknowledgment between two people. As I waited in line as the store was closing, the pirate’s line seemed to move quicker than mine, so I decided this my opening. Over I went.
As I stood behind the pirate, I considered how to break into conversation. Maybe something like “Arrrgh matey. What brings you to the fine store such as this?” or maybe, “What brings a pirate to Walmart?” Then I noticed that he had a child with him. He was no more than seven years old. He looked like any other seven year old, except that he wore a leather vest that made him look like a sheriff from the wild west.
The pirate briefly turned toward me as he spoke to the cashier. He didn’t have an eye patch, it was his hair covering part of his face. He spoke with a spanish accent too. I realized that his hair wasn’t a wig after all, it was all real. His Aussie jacket had traces of horse hair on it. I soon knew this was no pirate at all! This was a Mexican cowboy!
I hadn’t figured on how to strike up conversation with a pirate and now I had to think fast. I had no clue where to go now. Worked out well though. I didn’t get the chance to put my foot in my mouth. The Mexican cowboy and his sheriff sidekick paid for their purchase and left the store. Presumably to saddle up and ride off into the west.
Everyone has a story. I wish I would have had the words to get his.
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