The Things Little Old Ladies Get Away With

I took Eddie to the doctor today so he took me to lunch at Captain D's. We were sitting there eating when all of a sudden I felt 2 hands grab my hair. I was just on the verge of whipping around and walloping some crazed offender. (a reflex from too much hair pulling when I was a kid) But the hands were gentle and they were actually cradling my long, blonde hair when I heard a woman exclaim, "beautiful. just beautiful."

I had maintained control of my reflexes as I looked at Eddie with a "what in the world?" look in my eyes.

I had caught a glimpse of two little, old ladies out of the corner of my eye as I settled into my chair, meanwhile they never knew anything was amiss. The one lady asked the other if she had ever seen anything so beautiful and her friend answered, "why no, I don't believe I have."

It was really a harmless situation to be in and they meant it all to be a compliment but I had no idea that someone was going to grab me from behind and to say they startled me would be to put it mildly. I kept my composure and thanked them for the compliment as they made their way to the door.

It reminds me of the stories my mom used to tell us about her mom. Granny loved her visits to the local 10 cent store. They had a really good snack bar there and I still crave their club sandwiches to this day. Granny and my Aunt Mary Ann would go to the 10 cent store every third of the month when they got their checks with all the other old people in our hometown. It was a ritual that everybody would get together and pay their bills and shop when they got their check. They would also go there anytime they had a doctor's appointment or any other business in town.

Mom said that several times she received a call from the management of the 10 cent store asking her to come collect her mother. It seems that granny felt that one certain booth was hers and she wasn't shy about claiming it. If someone was having lunch there, she would just go sit in the booth with them and tell them "not to mind me, I'll just wait here until you're finished." She would also clean away their dirty dishes to hasten their departure. Sometimes before they were finished eating.

I never witnessed my granny doing this stuff but I'm sure that those people felt much the same way I felt today as that little, old lady cradled my hair in her hands.