Tabatha Deans

THE HAPPY HAT, THE BEAR CLAW, AND SUPERMAN
With a day of freedom from the job from hell, I decided to cram all my errands into one day. First stop was the pharmacy, then lunch with Mona and Ashley, then back to the pharmacy to pick up my goods. It was hot out and seemed like the perfect day to wear my new hat. I bought it on impulse from a street vendor last week. It’s big, with a really wide, floppy brim, and a little flower on the side. It’s also a little bold, at least for me, and I’ve been a tiny bit nervous to wear it. It was one thing to wear a big floppy hat on the beach in Mexico, but I’ve never actually worn one in public.
But it was hot, and I had a long day of walking and waiting for trains and buses, so I donned my hat and headed out. I immediately noticed that passersby were taking notice. I felt a little self-conscious, until about the third person I passed gave me a big smile. Nearly everybody I passed gave me a long look and smiled. I think my hat was making them happy.
By the time I’d walked the six blocks to the mall I’d received three compliments on my hat, and was pretty much strutting my stuff. I took a seat to wait for the shuttle, and felt mysterious and very classic Hollywood-like as I sat and watched the world go by from underneath the brim of my hat. The shuttle ride got me another couple of compliments on my cranial topper, and I ended up chatting with a nice older man all the way to the train station.
I lunched with Ashley and Mona, then we wandered the mall, rode the escalators and the elevators, and looked at the puppies in the window. I headed back towards town and the pharmacy. As I sat on the bus bench, a middle-aged man approached me, asking for some change. He wasn’t much bigger than myself, and I noticed that the hand he took my quarter with was about the size of my own. After thanking me he turned away, and I got a look at his other hand. I tried to hide my shock. His hand was swollen to at least ten times the size of his other hand. It looked like a great big stuffed bear paw, and it looked like stitching held his huge fingers to his palm. I have no idea what caused it, and if it was temporary or permanent, but it was truly one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen.
Then Superman came along and took my mind off it. I’ve seen him around town before. He wears a skin-tight, spandex red and blue Superman suit, and his red cape flaps in the wind as he bounces by. He’s always running, and he’s on stilts that are about three feet high. They’re bouncy like the ones they use in the circus, so the overall effect is a nine-foot-tall superman with long legs bouncing by. Superman bounced up to me and stopped.
“Nice hat.” He said, then bounded away.

August 27, 2011 - Posted by Tabatha Stewart | Uncategorized