So, to start out this new beginning, I'm going to start with telling you about one of my favorite regular customers.
I call her the Homeless Princess.
The woman is certifiably nuts. Not violent, or in any behavioral way really. But one look at her and you know she's not just a few fries, but an entire package of fries, short of a Happy Meal. The first thing you notice about her, is her hair. I'm sure at one time it was beautiful and luxurious, but now it's a sad matted rats nest on top of her head. Seriously, the bravest hairdresser in the world would just sigh and say, "Pass me the buzzers."
Secondly, she's filthy. Absolutely filthy. Think old movie, street urchin, dirty. And her clothes are a wreck.
BUT! And here is the kicker, She is the sweetest customer I have. She comes in, and smiles at me. Not a crazy, stalker, "Ima gonna chop off body parts" smile, but a very sweet, kind of shy smile. She usually mumbles a "Hi" on her way past the counter. Every time she comes in, she gets a cup of hot water, pays 15 cents for the cup, and thanks me and leaves.
I love the way she walks. She walks as if she hasn't got a care in the world, and she's very purposeful in her strides. Very confident, with her head held high. She amazes me.
We have categories of homeless in this town, useful, useless, and scared. I fully believe she's in the scared category. The useful choose to be homeless. They often have jobs, but no use for civilization. The useless are the drunks and other addicts that have been booted out of shelters, and the scared just can't cope with places like homes, and shelters.
So, a slow ease into this whole "regular" thing. Some posts may be impossibly long (just a warning) because of the situation, others just a few sentences. But fate has gifted me with a wealth of material in the form of retail service. so stay tuned folks, and as usual,
Thanks for Noticing me!
