People Watching

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I love watching strangers. They're so interesting and inspiring. The little quirks, the choice of clothing, the way she looks at him like he's an absolute idiot and you have to wonder what he did wrong...

One of my favorite things to do in line or in waiting rooms is make up stories about the people around me. Are they married or just friends? What magic item is in that kid's backpack? Does she hunt vampires?

I almost never speak to or see these people again, and have no way of knowing what their real stories are. And that's okay; the fun is in the mystery.

Years ago, however, I was waiting in line at a doctor's appointment and I saw this fascinating older man walking towards me. Very tall, wispy white hair, thin glasses halfway down his nose, khaki vest with many pockets... I just knew he was a professor who moonlighted as an archeologist or paleontologist. And I figured he was probably English. What he would be doing at a doctor's office in a small town in New York, I didn't know. Probably something very secret and exciting.

So Richard (I decided his name was probably Richard) comes up to me, looks at me over his glasses, and asks, "Are you the last in your line?" I can't stress enough how few people in my area have any accent except our vague, almost-but-not-quite-New-England generic American accent, but he had the exact English accent I had imagined.

It took all of my strength not to burst out laughing and ask him about his latest archeological dig.