I heard his jovial southern drawl before I saw him... "Gimme that there big one" referring to the coffee cake slice in the case at the register... And could ya leave room for cream?"
My southern friend was in the coffee shop again today. He remembered my name. Remembered where Rome is from. He's 79 right? I was floored. And we got to talking again. After a while I realized I HAD to try to record what was going on... I've spent a while decoding the gibberish that resulted from my trying to type and listen to him at the same time while not looking at my hands... fail... But here it is. Wednesday, September 1st. Encounter Number Two...
Me: "Do you have any paintings in the works right now?"
Weeeeeeell now.... I have one in the garage yes, my studio (chuckles) It's called, NEW MEXICO SKY. See, I like to paint in the style of Monet
like Van Gogh's Blue Period
*Pause*
"Yeeeeah, my wife's getting her hair done so I'm having some time in MY haunt!" (chuckles)
You know where I wanna go, but my wife... the largest water falls... in Cape Town, and I dunno exactly where that is... the Victoria Falls largest falls. In Cape Town they are. Not the longest though. That's in South America... Brazil maybe? And I like music, wanted to know where it all started. In Austria! And in July all different people come and hear people that play Chopin..."
*Coffee Pause*
"You know the secret word to a successful marriage? "Yes Dear" (He laughs) And you know what else I love, and not many protestant people do, the Ave Maria. (much enthusiasm ensues) People think anything Catholic is all wet... but naaaaw... but then there's of course Papa Haydn... He was a bad boy! While he was in school he tied the hair together of a girl sitting in front of him. He didn't start writing till about 40... You know, you gotta be careful if you're driving while listening to Haydn, especially the Creation. I had to pull over to the side of the road."
*Pause to drink and eat coffee cake*
"You know who the oldest signer the Declaration of Independence was? Ben Franklin. The one who went to Paris. And who loved the ladies. It's okay to love the ladies... 'cept that you gotta be careful not to love someone else's lady... Tiger Woods found that out... "You know, If I preached a sermon. On Christianity, I'd call it Stones. You know, after Mary Magdelene... I wonder what Jesus wrote in the dirt there... You know, we Christians, we like to pick an' choose what we like in Bible. But every book, Genesis, even that book of NUMBERS, is holy."
*Pause*
There's a lot of stuff to do in Lynchburg (talks about the orchestra)
*Pause*
You know what is just wonderful, love is a respecter of color (maybe he meant to say NO respecter of color? Well I got the point.) I think that's wonderful. People need to just get over their very bad attitude toward all'a that... People think (begins waving his arms) the only beautiful women around the world are... of the white race. That's just not the case! (still gesticulating) I had just got back from the Korean war. Had nothin. My friend's father was ambassador from Portugal. We were in Wash DC in the 50s. Friend said he was gonna take me to this club in the city. We went and I saw people, all the color in the rainbow! There was a girl, her father was ambassador to some African country, she was 6 feet tall! Barefooted! Taller with shoes on. And she. Was. AAAAABbsoLUtely gorgeous. Well I saw her and I gone up to her and I wanted a date. Well and I wanted to take her somewhere in the downtown but her father says he don't think it's a good idea, that we'd both be shot... D.C.'s a southern city ya know! And I told my mother. She said her father gave good wisdom... so we had our date there at the house... "
*Pause*
"We were on this cruise and a music lady came out playing a Stradivarius. Playin Classical music. And she asked us, you know the difference between a violin and fiddle? It's how it's tuned. She started playing the hoedown music right there!" (Laughs)
*Pause*
"Well I wish you the best in your marriage, and you know, you're gonna have your squabbles, just don't let it get bitter, alright to disagree, just don't be disagreeable."
*Pause*
"You know, I had no education. I flunked American History. With a big fat F! But world history, highest grade ever, no perfect score though. History teacher didn't like that, said I deserved the perfect score. And you know what, a few years later, she up and left the school."
" Then there came this real short lady (indicates her hight with his free hand) she spoke French. And I liked that!" (not sure where he was going with that...)
You know what the teacher told me? "World history is about events, not dates and such. The Moores coming to Spain, that's the most important event in European History. A Big deal."
*Pause*
"Ya got a good doctor down here? Dr. Miller... now he's a good doctor... but I know women like to go to women doctors..." (He elaborated on his doctors age and amount of insurance for a while...)
*Pause*
"You know what else I love about this place? it has the MOST unusual ladies and mens room! (laughs about the parking meter that is in there and the tile )
*Pause*
"Ya like the drums?" Me: "Ummm, yes, I um have never played them..."
"Now there's this guy, Gene Crouper... drum solo 25 min on his album!"
"Oh, and I call it the vibes, but the xylophone..." (Then I explained he was actually using the right terminology saying vibes...)
*Pause*
"You know, I like all kinds of music, the hymns, Charles Wesley wrote 4,000 hymns. John Wesley also wrote hymns, not many people know that..."
*Pause*
You know the only place on earth where Heather is found? Scotland. Scotland's Presbyterian. Yeeeep that's the National church there..."
*Pause*
"So you say your husband is from the Ukraine... You ever been? You gotta go! And when you get there, the Ukraine's not that far now... stop by a little place called Prague" (elaborates about the beauty of Prague and its "roving musicians" along the streets)
*Pause*
"Yeah... In 1859 my wife's family came from Switzerland... But my family, we were the Calhouns... The McGregors were the bad boys, forcing everyone out of Scotland, into part of Ireland, where Scotch Irish comes from..."(Again reiterates, no such thing as Scotch- Irish)
*Pause*
"You know, the best male singers are from Wales" (face lit up when I mentioned Charlotte Church)
*Pause*
"Well I best go got to pick up my wife from her hair appointment"
"I just like people, that's what we're posed to be about anyway..."
*Collects his empty styrofoam coffee cup and plate full of coffee cake crumbs*
"Well see ya around" (Hurries out after asking the time...)
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