Bradford Stories 03 - Tuesday morning

So, I'm lying here, just on the verge of opening my eyes. I live on the third floor and because I am on Main Street I hear people all the time. Making peace with having to wake up, I've been listening to two men outside having a conversation. I couldn't tell what they were doing, but I assumed its some sort of landscaping - there is always someone ouside in the early morning, doing something like that. It's lovely really.

Here is the conversation I heard this morning: One guy, the gentle talker, tells the other guy, the brisk talker, about the crab boil on Thursday. They yell, because apparently they are far from each other to just talk. I think for sure, they are a block apart. "Every 3rd Thursday in August," Mr. Gentle says. "Sounds good," Mr Brisk remarks. "Yeah, good way to start a vacation - goin to Ohio on Friday. It's gonna be great. Hey do you know David Clark?", asks Mr Gentle. "Uh, well, I know the name." "You know he used to work for Company A, now he works for Company B," clarifies Mr Gentle. "Well, his wife was having a hard time breathing, ya know. A couple times. And they took her in, and they couldn't find nothin. Then just like that she's gone. There was a mass in her lungs that they never saw and it went right to her brain. Instant." There's a quiet pause. Mr Brisk speaks up, "God that's terrible." "The benefit for him and his girls is this weekend..."

The conversation continues and I lose the words as I decide to put my feet on the floor and open the new curtains, well fabric, I bought. Mom's helping me make curtains this week. The fabric is so dark that you cannot see through it, the street lights are bright at night. Girls gotta sleep. Anyway, I pull back the fabric, and WHOA! Hi boys. The men I spoke of are right outside my third floor window. They are hanging the United Way Fundraiser banner across Main Street. Apparently it attaches to my building and the one across the street.

Mr Brisk is up on the lift, with the banner, and Mr Gentle is on the ground waving along traffic. Mr Brisk looks like Robert DeNiro and Mr Gentle looks like a gray haired hippie (Can't get a close look). After all Mr Brisk is right outside my bedroom window. Robert DeNiro out my window? okay, I'll take it, I say outloud as I go make coffee.