Interesting weather this week.
A ton of rain. A ton of wind. And then, yesterday, winter-like temperatures.
I was out, delivering our papers, when the temperature began dropping. My sport coat and t-shirt were not doing the trick.
Stopped in at Goodwill and found a really nice Greg Norman sweater for $3.79.
A woman was there, also shopping the men’s sweater rack.
“This is perfect,” I said. “My size. My color. My type of sweater.”
It’s gray, and the material (don’t know what) is rather thin.
“I’m looking for an ugly Christmas sweater,” she said.
“You’ve got plenty to choose from,” I said.
And she did. I’ve never seen so many awful sweaters in my life.
Had to wait quite a while to check out. The attractive young woman with long red hair on the register was a bit on the slow side. She was taking forever to bag another customer’s items.
I had deliveries to finish, and she seemed to be getting slower and slower. I admit I was getting impatient.
When she finally got done with the person ahead of me, I was, well, perhaps a little irritated.
She smiled, and diffused my anger quickly.
“Weren’t you a teacher?” she asked.
I was a teacher. For 24 years. Two years as a high school English teacher. 15 years as a middle school technology instructor. And 7 years in elementary school, also with technology. This was in a different city, and county — from the Goodwill store in which I was now standing.
It felt like it was in a different life.
“I had you in middle school,” she said. “You were a good teacher.”
All of a sudden I wasn’t in such a hurry.
We chatted for a minute.
I see them often — former students. It always makes my day.