Opus 2026-183: On the Street: The Old Cane Trick

I must admit I fell for it.  You might recognize it as the old dropped hanky trick.

I was in the waiting room of the physical therapy center where my wife was getting treatment.  I had my I-pad and a number of things I wanted to write.  I was typing away.  Off to my rear was a wheelchair bound lady who I could see had drawn a total stranger into a dynamic discussion of nothing.  My main concern was that I might not be able to concentrate over their voices.  Little did I know.

I was making progress when the current victim made her escape.  The chair bound woman must have looked around for fresh meat.  She saw me and decided she would appeal to my sense of chivalry.  She dropped her cane.  After a moment’s consideration I decided to get it for her.  It was like the fly in a Venus Fly Trap.  Chomp.

Her icebreaker was to ask me if I knew what a “hussie” was.  I should have answered, “Someone who tries to engage a strange man in conversation by asking him that question.”  I restrained myself and settled down to being polite to a very self-centered extrovert.  She knew I was writing.  She asked me about it and complemented me on my creativity.  She was also hard of hearing so any possible dialogue was off the table.

I kept waiting for her to be called into therapy or have someone come to pick her up.  I waited in vain.  Eventually my wife rescued me.  Even the knowledge that I had to go did not slow her down.  Eventually I adopted her condition of being hard of hearing, waved and walked away.

Was she just a lonely old lady?  It could be but if she is the reason would be found in the fact that she was totally aware only of herself.

Next time I will know to ignore the cane.

homo unius libri