People Watching

I recently found myself in a Starbucks drive-thru. In all honesty, this is an event that really happens a couple times a week. I have a problem, I will admit it. However, I had a wonderfully memorable moment one Sunday morning. I happen to be picking up my usual iced vanilla latte on the way to do laundry. Sunday obviously happens to be "Starbucks Day" as the line was quite long and slow. I didn't mind so much, because at the time I was recovering from the flu and was sufficiently drugged up with Theraflu. Nothing much was going to bother me that day.

As I sat in my car listening to an acoustic version of an Eric Clapton song on the radio, I began scanning the nearby patio to engage in the most amusing past time of people watching. I spied two gentlemen enjoying their overpriced drinks in the beautifully adorned cups that I frequently find in the back of my car. One of the men was about in his 30's and resembled a lumberjack, minus the stereotypical red plaid and huge ax. The other man was somewhere in his 50's and appeared to be very collegiate in nature. He was simply dressed in cargo shorts and a plaid shirt. He donned a pair of rectangular tortoise shell glasses that perhaps gave him the professor vibe. As is quite apparent at this time, I had been sitting there for a while.

I was intrigued by the older man who seemed to do most of the talking, and I tried to deduce what their topic of conversation could be. While I was being dutifully attentive to something that was clearly none of my business, I happened to catch something on the back of the balding head of the elder gentleman. As he turned his head, the sunlight caught a glint of two glittery pieces on his head right behind his left ear. Now, it is not uncommon for a man to carry a fleck of glitter on his person from time to time as a result of hugging a female who may have been overly glittery that day. My mind went no such place.

I began to imagine that this man happened to be a cross-dressing performer. I had a brilliant fantasy about how he had a performance the previous evening. Images of big wigs, elaborate drag costumes, and the most fantastic make-up to ever be applied raced through my head. I concluded that the glitter that was so strongly adhered to this man's skull MUST have been from his extravagant ensemble that he wore for the part of his life that was hidden from the public eyes of a coffee house. As I was reveling in my own amusement (and still waiting to inch closer to my much needed caffeine), I began to think I needed more rest and to lay off the Tylenol-based flu remedies.

Suddenly, the brake lights of the few cars in front of me went off indicating a progression through the line of loyal corporate coffee drones. Before I began to move up, I took one last look at the inspiration for the brief vacation I took into my wild imagination. It was at this time that I saw it. The best validation for my innate ridiculousness I could ever receive. When the older fellow went to lift his cup to take a sip, his left hand came into my very clear view. As did the EXTREMELY hot pink nail polish that he was wearing. I had that kind of smile that only comes from deep inside your belly as I drove off with my watered-down latte.