Just a few minutes ago, I was at Sun Fresh in Westport where I stood at the customer service desk waiting to check out a package of Starbuck's coffee and a gallon of 2% milk (after encountering my self-check out line's light blinking because the woman before me did not pay her bill completely). I gave my money to the Santa Claus-looking man who is always there standing behind the cs counter in his green shirt ready to give service to customers. Just at that moment, I heard a drunken man's voice (and experienced his breath) very close behind me saying "they stopped me but I gotta receipt, I really do," the "they being the security guards who have their own little stand by the doors there. The Santa Claus man said, "Okay Joe, I know you do-just wait a second" and Joe replied, "It's 'cause I'm gay, right?" to which I said, "Yeah, you and three quarters of the people in this store right now"---a tiny bit of an exaggeration. The SC man said with a laugh "That has nothing to do with it--wait here and I'll take care of it." The SC man and I continued with our transaction and I stepped back to get my wallet out of my purse and as I did, I stepped on Joe--on his foot actually--not realizing that he was quite that close. I apologized profusely and he said, "no really, sweetheart--that was pleasant" and I think he meant it. For the first time in the transaction I looked at Joe. I had seen him elsewhere in the store, and I saw that he had that look of someone who was living a hard life, but actually was very handsome--blue eyed, slight, curly haired, slight, he looked more like a college instructor than a thief. When he said the "pleasant" remark, that flustered me a bit. And then I asked SC man if I was through. He said yes, but Joe said very quickly, "O honey, please, never, never be through" to which I said,"Believe me honey, I am NOT through" and Joe said, "just make sure you never are." And I walked away cackling.
Living near Westport has its strangely transcendent moments.
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