Okay, I broke one of my Cardinal rules today – I went shopping on a Saturday morning. I have been breaking it all summer because the best venders come to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. Usually I shop and go home, in keeping with my pledge not to bother the working folks. (See blog post 03/23/12). Well, it’s a damn good thing I stayed out because my services were sorely needed.
As always, my first stop of the morning is Starbucks. My fav location at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike is moderately busy serving the best coffee on the planet. I get my usual order and hop over to the bank to get some cash. All is well until I exit the bank. As I juggle my coffee and search for my keys, I notice a man lurking around the entrance to the sheltered ATM. Yes, I said lurking; he is slouched over with his hands stuffed in his pockets; mumbling to himself and furtively eyeing those exiting the Starbucks. As is my nature, when he looks my way I make direct eye contact. He quickly looks down. I would never have given it another thought (maybe he was mumbling into a tiny cell phone), but as I start up my car I notice that he has wandered over to the trash can near the parking spaces. He proceeds to fish out a discarded coffee cup and take a swig. Then he scoops up a morsel of pastry and swallows it. I’ve seen this before (albeit, not often in Mo Co) and I am not alarmed. Not until he suddenly begins to shout and gesture menacingly at a young family on their way to the cleaners. A small boy with wide eyes looks over his shoulder as his parents tug him forward. Heads at the outside tables swivel to look and one couple gathers up their things to leave. Now I am on alert and immediately shift into “witness mode” – Hmm, white male, mid to late 60s, balding with sparse gray hair, about 5’6”, neatly dressed in a navy golf shirt, tucked into belted jeans. I make a special note of his most prominent identifying mark – no front teeth. I put my coffee aside and watch him carefully. He strides up and down the sidewalk, making jerky motions and shouting intermittently.
Okay, I’ve got to do something. I’ll go back into Starbucks and tell them to call the police. No, they won’t do it, they’re too busy and they won’t be sufficiently alarmed, they didn’t see this guy. I decide to report this to the non-emergency police number. I call and give them (if I do say so myself) an excellent description of the culprit (see above) and his location. I am assured that the Mo Co police will arrive shortly. I finally drive across the parking lot to the Farmer’s Market. Later, I hear sirens. I doubt they are responding to my report, although I do double back to check the lot at Starbucks. I don’t see the man. My work is done.
Next stop is Target and all goes well, no unsavory characters mar my visit. I really am pushing it, it is close to noon and I need to get home and out of the way of the working folks. On a whim, I pull into the Dollar Store. I need some bubble wrap and mailers – always a real bargain there. I find the mailing supplies and as a bonus, some sturdy CD cases. I make my way to the check out. By this time the store is crowded. Elderly ladies with their care givers buy greeting cards; groups of Hispanic women fill carts with cleaning supplies; and young boys in soccer gear grab bags of Chex Mix. The line is unusually long at the one open check out. A lady behind me, holding four bags of egg noodles, asks me to guard her place while she gets someone to open another register. She returns and assures me she notified someone. I thank her and we chat about long lines and the Halloween decorations already on display.
In blatant disregard of “the code of the newly opened register”, several people who have just wandered up jump into the newly opened line. My friend, still hanging on to her noodles, walks over to that register and politely says, “We are all over there waiting in that long line.” A large man replies in a loud, scornful and gruff voice, “Open your eyes, Lady. You’re out shopping you gotta look out for things. That’s what you got eyes for!” The store grows very quite. Hmm this doesn’t sit well with me. That is no way to address my nice egg noodle lady. Not to mention the other little ladies who seem to shrink back, bow their heads and clutch their greeting cards more tightly.
This guy is intimidating my peeps! I am the tallest and whitest lady in the store; it’s now clear why I made this unscheduled visit to the Dollar Store. In my firm school teacher voice I announce, “That kind of talk is unnecessary!” My fellow shoppers perk up and the man’s head snaps around to take a look at me. In a quieter tone he says “Whatever.” The lines move along and we all get checked out. As I am about to exit, I see the egg noodle lady at the door. She pats me on the arm and thanks me. There is no excuse for that kind of rudeness, I say and there are smiles and nods all around.
I now seriously head for home; I have satisfied my need to keep the peace.
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