Monday, October 27, 2008

I only have a minute to tell you this.

I am sitting in Argo Tea in the Loop right now doing some homework and at a table nearby is an odd woman. She seems to be in her mid-forties with a chapped face. She is thin and dressed in clean, normal clothes. She has an odd sense of style but her color palate and clothing choices are up-to-date. She is wearing a brown hat. She is eating a variety of foods out of ziplock bags.

Here's the odd bit. She seems to be spending her time here trying to get the attention of other customers by flashing things in their peripheral vision. The first time I looked up, she was waggling a little stuffed ghost bear that was attached to her finger with a rubber band at me. Another time it was a piece of paper with hand-drawn letters and an illustration that said, "Ghost mob hit." The next time I looked up from my computer, she had the torn-off cover of a book about Mozart held out at arm's length in my direction while she studiously looked elsewhere. Finally, the next time I looked up, I saw that she was holding another sign up to another patron. She held it there for awhile, then put it down and got another sign to show someone else.

I love Chicago.

Wait! Now she’s flossing.

Now she is walking around the store with large sheets of music in her hand, largely flipping through them while standing in the middle of the floor.

I really love Chicago.

2 comments:

Emily DeWan Photography said...

Chicago is so fabulous for people-watching. I wonder what this woman was hoping to do.

Anonymous said...

Argo Tea at State and Randolph? If so, she's a regular. You'll occasionally see her at other sites.