Sudden Attention

As I was sitting in my usual spot at the St. George branch of the Washington County Library yesterday, I saw a woman who I remembered from the first day of school. I remember her for a couple of reasons. One was because she is attractive, and the other is because she smiled at me when she first saw me.

I remember the encounter vividly, as though it had happened yesterday. I was sitting in the same spot and she came out of one the isles and smiled real big at me. She was there with several friends and it was obvious they had experienced a wonderful first day of school. I saw her from time to time throughout the year, but never received similar treatment.

Yesterday as I was reading the June 2006 issue of the Writer’s Digest magazine, I noticed her with a few of her friends. She was oblivious to me so I comenced to checking her out thinking what a great time we could have had this past year together, and, of course, how good-looking our kids could have been (I particularly liked her chin and hair and slightly full body type). I was contemplating her facial features when she glanced over the shoulder of one of the friends, and our eyes met. I smiled at her and turned my attention back to the article I had been reading.

When I finished the article, I thought of something I wanted to write about for my blog. As I was putting the magazine down on the seat next to me, I casually glanced up at the woman and her friends. She was looking right at me and offered a huge smile. I chuckled inward and smiled back, then turned my attention to the computer keyboard and struggled to remember what it was I had wanted to write about. After staring stupidly in that manor for a minute, I scrapped the idea of writing and reopened the magazine for another article.

I still have no idea what I was going to write, all I could think of while I was staring at the ThinkPad, was why in the world she wanted to show attention in me now of all time. And she was showing attention too. After two years of struggling with the local girls, I get attention the very day I learn about a possible ride to Idaho in about a week.

She’s not the first one either! The first night I was homeless, I rode my bicycle up to my camp and passed a very athletic woman, who I took for a college student. Very petite, and very attractive. We have passed each other on the bike trail, she jogging and me bicycling home, many times over the past two years. Every time I offered a smile and bid her a “good evening”. She never once greeted me in return.

With the winter months and weather, I stopped seeing her completely. Whether she was not jogging every night any more, or my trip had become too early in the evening to see her, I’m not sure.

I saw her again for the first time in months just two days ago. I had come out of one of the two outhouses along the bike trail where I had changed into my shorts for the long ride home. As I was loading my backpack onto the cargo rack, I glanced up and saw her. I smiled and proceeded to secure the backpack.

In a voice I had never heard before, she said with some cheerful air, “haven’t seen you in a while.” I looked up to see her smiling back at me as she heaved the outhouse door open and slipped in.

How peculiar. And they’re not the only ones. I’m getting friendly smiles at every turn. It seems that now that I’ve made up my mind to leave this hellhole and forget about these Daughters of Zion and the rest of these FUB’s, I’m suddenly more than scum and worthy of interaction. It’s like the vibe is out, I’m no longer on the prowl, and therefore safe to associate with.

Well, ladies, I was never “on the prowl” and not about to start a fruitless relationship now. If interaction with you does not serve me a purpose, I’m not in the least bit interested. You snooze, you loose, and you’ve been snoozing for two years.

Oh now I remember, I was going to post a webpage update.