It's the hats

[rabidsamfan]

The other evening I left the T at Downtown crossing because it was pretty clear that there were a gazillion people waiting for a late orange line train, and it was going to be a whole lot easier, and more comfortable, to walk the few blocks over to the blue line and get home that way.

Of course, once I was above ground I was in the temptation zone, and I decided to have some chili at Wendy's for dinner instead of crawling home and staring uselessly into the refrigerator. Got my chili, looked for a seat, found one, much to the annoyance of the guy who had spread his stuff over chairs at three tables. (No, actually, your backpack does not count as a "person", so I can sit opposite it quite happily.) Squirted the not-quite-sour-cream (acidulated?) into my chili, crunched up my crackers and deposited them into same, took a sip of Dr. Pepper and began to dine.

As I ate, I read, and was about halfway down the container when I heard someone say "Nice hat!"

Now, I get "nice hat!" a lot, because I usually wear a black cowboy hat with indian bead trim. Particularly from street folks, who spend a lot of time people watching. But on this occasion I was wearing a bright orange knit creation with two dangly bobbles at the bottom and one bobbly bit at the top, and so far it hasn't yet attracted the same kind of attention.

I turned to thank my admirer and found myself eyeball to eyeball with a little old lady -- emphasis on the little! (Remember I was still sitting down.) She leaned on her cane, eyeing my hat gleefully and said, "I wore one that same color to school on Saint Patrick's Day when I was a girl."

"That must have been interesting," I said, since by her accent she'd grown up in or near Southie.

"Oh yes," she giggled wickedly. "Mrs. Murphy made me go to the principal."

I raised an eyebrow. "You wore it deliberately?"

"Yes!" she said, enjoying my astonishment. "I was always the one who would do things when I was a girl. If you were afraid to do it, you'd ask me, and I'd do it for you."

I laughed. "You must have had a wonderful time."

"I did," she said, with great satisfaction. "Nice talking to you!" and off she went to get her supper. As I was leaving I saw her again and complimented her on her choices.

"That looks good," I said.

"Yes," she said. "It's a dinner of 'I didn't have to cook' and that's always good."

We said our goodnights, but today I saw her again as I went through one of the T stations. She was wearing a soft beret in the hottest pink this side of 1978.

"Hey," I said. "Nice hat!"

Comments

[dreamflower]

*grin* What a wonderful encounter!

I love those sorts of random conversations!

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful interaction!

[shirebound]

I laughed. "You must have had a wonderful time."

"I did," she said, with great satisfaction. "Nice talking to you!"

What a great conversation! I need to wear more hats.

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

Awesome! She sounds like a cool lady.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I'm glad one awesome person got to talk to another. :D

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

What a very cool conversation. I always love encounters like that!

Hewene

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

This is lovely. *huge smile*

You wear a Cowboy hat?

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

LOL!

I love people like that. :D What a wonderful story.

My head is so little I can only wear ordinaryshaped knitted hats, but I do. They're not very spectacular though, but colourful. And I have an orange one too.

[illyria-novia.livejournal.com]

What a remarkable lady!

Pardon my stupidity, are people forbidden to wear bobbled hat on St. Patrick's day?

And I love your going home description. And I think a black cowboy hat with indian beads do make a handsome hat.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

On St. Patrick's day, people in the US wear green for luck -- especially the shade called "Kelly green", and it's considered either bad luck, or insulting to wear orange. The "orangemen" were (and are) the protestants of Northern Ireland (and boy, is that a complicated history!) while green was the color of the Catholics. A teacher named Murphy in South Boston was almost certainly Irish Catholic. So it was the color of the hat (and the temerity of wearing it) that my little old lady was boasting about.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

You wear a Cowboy hat?

Yup!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Colorful can be very spectacular when knitting needles get involved. My grandmother could knit picture mittens and hats, and they were wonderful.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Me too! Good thing they keep happening to me, hey?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*grin*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Yeah. And I love glimpses of people like that.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Hats are fun!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

The sort of thing that just doesn't happen in the movies, really.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I love those conversations too. Good thing they keep happening to me!

[telstar109.livejournal.com]

LOL, I like her!

[celandine-g.livejournal.com]

What a great little vignette--I so enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this lovely experience.

[pebbles66.livejournal.com]

That little old lady sounds so cute! Definitely the kind of old lady I want to be someday! Sounds like you've made a new friend!

She also sounds like my "crazy" aunts. They've all passed on now, but they were the kind of old ladies that had 100s of cats, and wore stretchy hats with feathers all over them. Strange, but fun.

[clevertoad.livejournal.com]

She wears a cowboy hat in BOSTON. Wearing one in Colorado would be nothing to blink at.

[clevertoad.livejournal.com]

Face it, you are your mother's daughter. The ability to get into a conversation with anyone, anywhere, and enjoy the heck out if is one of the betraying hallmarks.

Lovely little old lady! I like that kind.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

I thought so. I watched Horse Whisperer, you know. *nods*