Starbuckie Adventures
My roommate and I were at Starbuckies Sunday, attempting (like most college students) to study and look cool at the same time. Absorbed in my Astronomy Today textbook, sections 2.2-2.4, I had not noticed that the person occupying the armchair next to me had changed…how many times this transition took place…I’m not sure. But I did notice when a 30 something-year-old man in tawny colored bowling shoes and a playschool red fleece sat next to me by the fireplace. I noticed because I could feel him looking at me.
Has that ever happened to you? It’s odd how you can feel things like that, the same way dogs can feel when an earthquake is about to hit. The man had shaggy brown hair, cut in no particular way and silver rim reading glasses. He shifted through the newspaper carelessly scattered on the midcalf high coffee tables next to us. This shifting and casual glancing went on for about 20 minutes before I got up and went to hunt for my own newspaper to purchase for journalism class.
My search was unsuccessful, but only because I was too lazy to walk any further than the newspaper machines on the corner outside. I assumed my place again in the olive colored armchair and reached for the Seattle Times on the table. Noticing this opportunity, the man asked us, “Is this your newspaper?” I answer no, it was community paper. Then I told him he could have all the classifieds he wanted and to let me know if he’d found the front news pages. I’m not sure how the conversation went from there, but soon I found myself turned in my armchair, notebook and pen in hand, asking him what he thought of the current US Senate elections and his feelings about the community issues potentially affected. If I recall correctly, I think I realized the opportunity to get quotes for my next article about Reed Davis, an SPU politics prof running for US Senate. My intended topic of conversation lasted about 2 questions, before he turned it on me.
Soon, he had my notebook in hand and was analyzing my handwriting. Apparently he’d taken a course on handwriting in college. From his examination, he’d concluded that I was a very reflective person and gave a lot of thought to things. Also, from the slight left tilt in my letters, I’m a generally quiet and watchful person.
Overall, my conversation with the 36-yr.-old Kenan, 5-yr Queen Anne resident and employee for KIRO radio, went well. I obtained some decent quotes for my article and learned a lot.
My purpose for sharing this story is two-fold. I was able to minister to this man about Jesus Christ. After examining my handwriting and learning that I’m a reflective person he asked something like, “Well, I have a question for you that you might appreciate. Do you think Jesus was a nice man?” And that’s how the spiritual note of the conversation took off. The second reason is because, other than this man being way too old for me and me not having any interest whatsoever…he was charming and had overtones of John Cusack from Serendipity. The part in the movie when Cusack first meets Sara Thomas and has that somewhat corny, but sweet sense of humor, was very similar to this guy’s personality. When Cusack tells Sara the story about Queen Cassiopeia and shows her the constellation in the freckles on her arm…it was very much like Kenan’s analysis of my handwriting. All innocent, yet charming and friendly conversation. A notable difference in the two scenarios (that I must point out) is that Kenan didn’t ask for my number. Which, he would have if he was (as my roommate insists) trying to pick up on me.
I have always dreamed of a sweet serendipitous situation like that. But I have come to the realization that happenings like that only exist for people 25 or older. My generation just doesn’t seem to carry the same type of confidence or spontaneous wit as those before us. Come to think of it, I’m not sure how to describe our generation. I think I just need to give it more thought. Anyway, that’s my story for now. More later.
