Foul Weather Friends

So, I’ve spent most of the last two months with my windshield wipers and fog lights on, looking at my flip- flops with a yearning that I’m beginning to worry about, then convincing myself that this spell (?)  of bad weather should not get the best of me.

And being approached by strangers at an alarming rate.  This is what has baffled me the most.

Yesterday I had a long wait to speak to an officer at the local bank.  You may have noticed how scarce bank managers and officers have become. Believe it not, things like closing accounts can’t be done at the ATM or online. Yet.  So my waiting time was substantial.  The woman in the seat beside me was screaming into her cellphone at someone, warning them not to dare ask her for any more money for the rest of the month.  She was next in line and when she was called in by the officer, the door closed rather abruptly.    I knew I was in for a long wait.

I always make the most of these down times  by observing things and people around me.  Ok, mostly people.

A burly man in line to cash his paycheck must have observed my rain jacket because he said, “Hi.  Still raining out?”  I responded that the rain had been upgraded to the level of “mist” but that the air was quite cool.  He shared with me his love of cold weather and that he was not looking forward to the summer heat.  Our exchange about warm vs. cold weather continued (blah blah blah, then more blah blah blah) and before I knew it, he was inviting himself to visit me next winter in Key West! What nerve!!  Why did he think we had become such fast friends?  I could only blame it on the weather.

Strangers usually don’t approach me so I started thinking about this experience.  And then I remembered that in the past few days  more and more unfamiliar people seemed to be offering me a friendly nod and a comment about the weather. Sometimes it even
turned into a brief exchange about the trickiness of mother nature. This had happened in line at the Post Office and several times at Stop and Shop (especially after one of those sudden downpours.)

I know that  some of my new friends are the same people who will soon hurry past me in good weather, eyes straight ahead in total disinterest.   Nothing to talk about.  Not even the beautiful, cloudless blue sky above.

I won’t be hurt by the impending disloyalty of these foul weather friends. Fortunately we never exchanged phone numbers, e-mails or astrological signs so I won’t get my hopes up about socializing with them.  I may miss them for a while but I know we’ll see each other again, maybe during the next nor’easter.  Hopefully that won’t be very soon.

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