Category: convos with strangers

2.26.16

I trudged down the 65 stairs from my apartment to the laundry room, shoved my clothes into the washer, and realized I’d forgotten my laundry detergent. The other two washing machines were busy, so I flew up the stairs before someone else could come down and lay claim to the final washer. Success.

Once all that was settled, I climbed back upstairs to find my wireless wasn’t working. I reset it and unplugged it and did all the usual things, but no luck. I called Comcast was told via automatic voice that service was out in my area and a crew was working on it.

My stuffy nose and aching head were magnified now that I only had the quiet of my apartment for company. More often than not, I read instead of watch TV, but because I no longer could watch TV, it was all I wanted to do.

I walked to the sink and turned the water on, testing it, to make sure it still worked. Old Panama habits die hard, I guess. It did. I had water, heat, electricity. I was fine. I pulled out a book while I waited for my laundry / the internet, whichever was ready first.

It returned within the hour.

Once settled in with Thursday night’s episode of The 100, I folded my laundry and decided I was motivated enough to get the OJ I needed for tomorrow from the corner convenience store.

As I leaned into the refrigerator to grab the last bottle of Tropicana, I heard a woman say “Oh, I’ll be right back” and she dashed out the front door. As I walked up to the counter, a bunch of items were lined up.

Him: It’s cash only.

Me: Okay.

Him: *mutters something about Comcast in accented English*

Me: *realization dawns* Oh, yes. Me too. Mine came back about 10 minutes ago. Hopefully yours will too. I live just up the street.

Him: Oh, good. Maybe yes. No credit cards until then.

Me: *pulls out cash to pay*

As I walked home, my thoughts strayed back to Panama and how the loss of just the internet and cable wouldn’t have slowed their roll. Granted, nothing could slow them down as they’re already moving at a slow pace, but people were freaking out here. I mean, we still had electricity, water, heat, everything but cable and internet.

I guess the difference is that Americans are accustomed to having access to these things and when that access is denied, the loss is felt. Having cable/internet is a luxury and Panamanians are more concerned with the fundamentals like access to clean water and electricity.

Thoughts of privilege and poverty and education and experience and gratitude swirled through my head as I passed a local restaurant and wondered how their Comcast situation was working out and if all those customers had to pay cash because those bills were bound to be bigger than what people carry in their wallets these days, which is to say next to nothing.

I quickly found I had no more room left to think because all the germs in my body were congested in my head and so, I let it all go. Grateful my apartment had electricity, water, internet/cable, and smelled of clean laundry.

1.6.16

This particular street is very difficult to cross due to its high traffic levels and speed limit. Essentially, you have to wait for the light to change.There are four points of crosswalk entry, and at each one, the button to push that will allow you to cross is not the normal squishy kind. It’s stiff and has limited motion and the only way you know it’s working is if a little red light goes on. As far as I can tell, the red light only goes on if you’re the first pedestrian to register in. So, despite one’s insistent pushing, the red light might not go on because it’s on elsewhere or it might be that you haven’t found the right angle to trigger the system. All you can do is wait and wonder.

A woman walked up 30 seconds after I finished the routine of pressing, pounding, yelling at the light switch. After another minute of cars whooshing by, I stepped back over to the switch and tried again. No red light signaling it accepted my request, but there were people waiting at two of the other crosswalk entry points. After two more minutes, I prepared to either frogger my way across the street or start the whole light switch thing all over again. As I shifted towards the light switch…

Her: *half smiles at my efforts* Did it catch?

Me: Not yet. But the light doesn’t always go on. This is so temperamental.

Her: Let me try.

Me: Go for it.

*red light illuminates* *traffic light immediately flips to yellow*

Me: Yay! Nice work.

Her: Sometimes you have to work it.

Me: I’m glad you were able to!

And with the crosswalk signal lighting the way, I was one step closer to the office / work day.

12.10.15

Him: Good morning.

Me: Good morning.

A simple exchange, but you see, he’s a school crossing guard and I am neither a school child nor the parent of one. He presides there on the corner of two crosswalks every school day. A neon yellow vest, a handheld stop sign, and a penchant for small talk. I’m a pedestrian without a small child tugging on my attention, and so am able to check for cars/pass quickly across one of the crosswalks under his guard. He doesn’t need to raise that stop sign for me.

Instead, he offers me a warm greeting.

Maybe it’s that crossing guards are a rare breed of kindness or maybe this is a look into my future (kids, school days) via a crystal ball crossing guard?