THE ODD WAIT

“THE ODD WAIT”

BY SHEB SCHEBELLA

 I was waiting at the train station at this little outdoor café, when an older man walked up to me and asked me the time of day. I smiled politely and checked my watch twice to make sure my time zone was correct as I often do and then I replied 12:55. He pulled a vacant chair from the table and invited himself to sit down all the while wearing a rather displeasing frown. There was a pause and stillness in the air until the 12:55 blew it’s whistle & pulled out going somewhere. He said son that is where you’re wrong. I then told him then I am not sure what he meant, but if he was asking for the time of my life I guess it is 43 years and some change. He rolled his eyes and waved his hand and replied to me that that answer was a start. Then he told me that I could be sitting anywhere, but for some odd reason I choose to be sitting here. Well if it were up to me I would choose to be sitting on the train, but it had not pulled into the station just yet and was not expected to for another 2 hours, and that is when I thought that this could be a long odd wait. He then introduced himself as Francis McKilacutty. All I could think was great a pissed of Irishman too afraid to fight. Then he told me he was the Director of Human Necessities at the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. on vacation here in Europe. After Francis broke his job title down for me a little I was able to determine that he was the guy in the restroom that handed you a towel or comb or even perhaps a splash of cologne, and then you rewarded him with some loose change or a fiver if you had been drinking the spirits. The world is filled with odd ducks, I hope to meet all of them, there's no space on my plate for much else I suppose.