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Aruba 2014 When I first spotted Melvin on the beach I groaned.
I had been feeling so smug that Don and I had snagged the early boat to Flamingo Island and had all the flamingos to ourselves before the lazy tourists arrived. But when Melvin came closer with his wheelbarrow and rake, I couldn't help but greet the happy looking guy. "Beautiful Morning!" Melvin sighed as he looked out over the sand he was tending.  I pointed to all the empty chairs and we wondered together why more people didn't get out and enjoy the best part of the morning. Flamingo Talk Melvin did more than tend to the sand. He handled the flamingos. I told him that my husband was having a bit of a hard time with one flamingo. I explained, "It's the one with the gauze wrapped around his neck. He seems to be lurking over him." Melvin shook his head, "Oh I need to fix that. He keeps trying to take it off. Those flamingos can really go after each other. I have to try to keep them from messing with their wounds." Then he chuckled and pointed to where Don was sitting. "The flamingos won't leave you alone if you sit under that palapa!"
The palapa we had chosen, was the one that all the important guests sit under. "When the Queen of Holland visited, that's where she sat... The King of Aruba..." Melvin went on to tell stories about a rapper named Timberland who had his wedding on the island. He described a grand piano, on a floating island and all the body guards scattered about. I'm sure he had plenty more stories. Playing All Day I told Melvin, I couldn't believe he had a job where he got to walk on the beach and deal with beautiful flamingos all day.
Then I felt bad because I used to resent it, when I taught preschool and heard comments like, "I wish I could play with kids all day." Best Job Ever But Melvin gave me 2 thumbs up and told me he loved working with the flamingos. Maybe more than the tourists sometimes.  He assured me that he really did appreciate his job. That's a rare thing to hear.
Thanks, Melvin! That made me feel a little less guilty when I returned to my lounge chair and stared out at the turquoise water, as you worked. It made me happy to see someone who enjoyed his work!
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A Cafe Encounter I met Pete while having lunch in a small town diner, last October. That's not unusual, because my husband and I meet lots of folks in diners when we travel.  But this encounter had so many connections to the past. Back to Eminence This visit (2015) to the small Missouri Ozark town, was not my first. In 1977, I spent quite a bit of time in Eminence, along with some college classmates. I met some incredible locals, but I sort of fell for a 79 year old farmer, named Freeman. I was 19 then and we stayed in touch for years. My memories of Freeman led to the creation of this the Stranger Blog!
This is the link to the write-up about my buddy, Freeman! Freeman: https://www.thebethlists.com/55-strangers/1-freeman-hughes-a-farmer-in-eminence-missouri Bob's Cafe in '77 I was with fellow students when we entered the cafe 38 years ago. I struck up a conversation with Freeman.  He was seated at a table, with his coffee-drinking buddies. Where's the Cafe? When we drove into town in October of 2015, I was sad to discover that Bob's was no longer a cafe.  I so wanted to sit in the saggy vinyl booths and order the blue plate special, which was once $1.25 and strike up a conversation with a local. Ruby's Ruby's was the only place with an OPEN sign. When we entered at 1:30 the waitress was clearing out the buffet and it took her a long time to decide if it would be okay to order off the menu.  As we settled into a corner table, I began to recognize this building. I remembered this place as a cluttered general store, walls and shelves crammed with everything from chainsaws and canoe paddles, to furs and guns. Meeting Pete A man with dark glasses and mustache was sitting nearby, finishing his lunch. He was listening and smiling, when Don asked the waitress what was good. He introduced himself as Pete and answered for the server, "Everything!" It was clear that Pete had the time to chat. And so did we.  I couldn't help but notice Pete's overalls. They reminded me of the worn out pair Freeman wore when I met him. I asked Pete if he was local and then told him about my visit to Eminence in the seventies. Freeman Of course Pete knew Freeman! In fact, Freeman's son Frank, had been Pete's teacher back in the early sixties. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around this.
Pete (in 2015) was nearly the same age as Freeman, when I met him in 1977. How could Pete be young enough to be taught by Freeman's son? Then I remembered that I wasn't a 19-year-old sitting in a cafe... this time. Pete jabbered on, answering my questions about what happened to the cafe and what it was like, living in Eminence now. Selling Wood Pete didn't seem much different than the small town folk I remember from nearly 40 years ago. He seemed content about his life on that particular day, selling firewood from a big green truck.  We finished up and said good-bye. I spotted his truck parked next to the Shannon County Jailhouse. The wood had been sold and only his chair was on the truck bed. "Sometimes I just park the truck beside the road till someone wants to buy some wood." he had told me. Thanks, Pete! You made Eminence feel friendly again. I had felt a little sad when we'd first pulled into town. It all felt like a vague dream. Nothing quite as I'd remembered.
It was nice to talk to you and have you verify my memories. I'm still scratching my head a bit, though. You told me Freeman's son still lives in town and he would be 87 now! If only we'd had time to track him down. Maybe next time!
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FIFTY-FIVE
STRANGERS To celebrate my birthday in April 2012, I decided to reflect on the past with a different kind of list. I've met a lot of people in my 55 years, but I'm going to stop and remind myself about the strangers I've met. These are people I met by accident, not through friends or work. For some reason, these strangers dropped into my life. Even though we may have only spent a few minutes together, these people have never been forgotten. Each week, I'll spotlight someone I met in the past, who in some small way, made me stop and think. MY GOAL: Remember 55 Strangers Archives
September 2024
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