She Hates Bats
IT’S STILL DARK. IT’S RAINING CALICOS AND SCHNAUZERS. When I walked through the door at St. Arbucks I am greeted by the Barista with, “I hate bats.”
There was not much I could say to that except, “And I hate Komodo Dragons. Now, can I get some coffee?”
As I stood there politely paying for my coffee I was presented with a non-stop confession of everything that was making the Barista unhappy. I was waiting to see if I had made her list. I didn’t.
“I’m coming to work in the dark. It’s raining to beat the band, and we have a bat loose in our house.”
Then she growled.
I nodded in sympathy, but I wasn’t about to say anything that might launch her across the counter at me. She looked like there was a healthy bite behind that growl.
After I got my coffee and was safely headed off to my corner I made eye contact
with her and said, as gently as I could, “At least it’s not snowing.”
That made her smile.
My work here is done! Hi-yo, Silver, away!
There wasn’t anything I could really do to help her out of her funk. I knew that the Sun would be coming up in a few minutes, and the rain would help the farmers and wash her car, However, there wasn’t anything I could do about her bat problem other than maybe loan her a broom.
Everybody has days like the one she was having. Maybe not with bats included, but we all have those days when our only possible remedies seems to be either withdrawing behind the walls of a monastery or climbing up into the clock tower with a deer rifle.
I’m not really happy with today either. It is raining and my knees hurt. There is not much I can do about that today, and looking forward, this weekend is the Terre Haute (That’s French for, “They are really loud.”) Air Show featuring the “Blue Angels.” I would love to go, but that would have me on my feet for a number of hours and that just won’t work. Anyway, I’ve seen the Blue Angels show several times over the years. I think I might sit comfortably in the backyard and watch them zoom overhead.
I feel sorry for that Barista. She is having a bad day and also having a bat in her house isn’t helping any. I hope that things will improve for her as the day moves on. If they don’t get better I pity the guy who comes in and gives her a hard time over something stupid. She’ll chew him up and spit him out like a day old wad of Juicy Fruit.
The weather forecast has the rain continuing through tomorrow. The Sun will come up in the morning when it does. The only thing that might get better soon is the bat thing. While she’s at work I hope someone is at home taking care of that problem. If that bat is still there tomorrow I may go someplace else for my coffee.
Down the Hall on Your Left 