Herald, Harold!

     At first you would think I live an ordinary life, a boring one in fact. I live far from my family, I tend to go bed early like an old lady, there aren't to many movies I just have to see, and shopping...well I have to be in the mood. An ordinary life is what I should have. Simple should be my theme word. But, for some odd reason it never works out that way.....

     My days in the office often seem all the same. I wake up, I drink some coffee, I go to prayer. I go to the office, I turn on the heater and some music. I work, I talk, I laugh and I answer the phone. Amidst all this, at some point I realize I'm famished. It just so happened that on this day the realization hit me sooner than later.

"Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature." -Charles Dickens

     As it so happened I had hankering for some good old fashioned southern food. The kind you find in a small town diner. You know the one, no one is stranger and the waitress always calls you "honey". Well It just so happens that the tiny town in which God has placed me, has such a joint. Country Angles its called. Although eating at a restaurant by myself is not necessarily my favorite activity, desperate times call for desperate measures. So, I went to lunch.
      Awe if only that was it. Lunch, an easy five letter word which simply means a mid-afternoon meal. Except of course that day. It would happen to be rush hour for the little diner when I arrived. Not only is it awkward enough walking into a diner alone but to walk in and desperately search for a table for one? Let's just say God is continually working on a little thing called my pride.
It just so happened that all the tables were either occupied or dirty. As I stood in front of a table insecurely pondering as to where to sit and how to grab the waitresses attention so she would clean a table, a strange voice came from behind me.
     "You can sit with me." I turned to find an older gentleman (by old I mean slightly older than my parents) sitting at a table.
     "The guy who was joining me bailed." At this point any normal 21 year old girl would have kindly said "That is fine but I will sit over there." Unfortunately, I am not a NORMAL girl in the least. Which will easily be proven. So I sat. And that was only the beginning to the most bizarre and strange lunch I have ever had.

"I think in the old days, the nexus of weirdness ran through Southern California, and to a degree New York City. I think it's changed so that every bizarre story in the country now has a Florida connection. I don't know why, except it must be some inversion of magnetic poles or something." 

 -Carl Hiaasen

     So, there I sat across an old man I had never before met, at an old country diner in the small town of Polk City FL. Heavens to Betsy what would my mother think!!! He introduced himself as Harold and shortly informed me that we would be joined by two others. I found myself enjoying the company of 3 Polk County water company workers for this afternoon meal. Harold and his two coworkers/friends, throughout the entirety of lunch often talked, with out good humor I might add, about a man whose name I honestly can't remember. Apparently I was taking this man's place and each party was glad of it. They joked, and teased and laughed often with each other. 

     Besides Harold there was Suki, (If I remember correctly) who worked in the billing department. She had two little kids and a good for nothing ex-boyfriend. They teased her about being from Bulgaria, (Which she wasn't) and not eating enough fish, which caused her not to be able to think correctly. In the business she had to deal with all those people who complain and apparently there are a lot! But she was sweet and spunky and took the good natured teasing from the others very well. Then there was a man slightly older than Harold who was known as the company redneck. As Harold said "He's the one who gets pulled on his golf cart by the police!" He had a scruffy beard and look like a hard worker. Harold and him both read the water meters and had the unpleasant job of turning people's water off. They politely asked me where I was from and what I did. I shared with them that I was an intern and Camp Gilead and wonder of all wonders they knew the place. I guess the company Redneck went to the camp when he was kid. To which Harold replied, "Well they have raised there standards since then." To which I couldn't help but chuckle. 

When my hunger was satisfied with a delicious hamburger, and the chatter seemed to slow, I decided it was time for me to leave. Just one problem.......there was only one check on the table. RATS!
     It's embarrassing to ask to split it. Why can't you just give me mine and I can silently slip out, pay for my meal and leave? So, I did what any respecting young girl would do, I simple asked where the check was, quietly. Hoping it would be scooted over to me and I could get this unpleasentry over with. However, that was not the case. Instead, Harold looked me straight int he eye and said, "I got it. You just go and have a good day." I have to admit, it wasn't such a bad day after all........STRANGE for absolute sure, but GOOD none the least. 

                          Such is my "SIMPLE" life