Elvis lives!

Well, you certainly meet some interesting people in this neck of the woods. Or actually, in just about any neck of the woods. And last Saturday was no exception.I was in a rush (when am I not?) and needed some cash.

It was Saturday and I was headed to the dump and needed cash. They don't take debit cards, you know. So I stopped on Cherry St. at the local Rite Aid (which used to be Brooks, but that's another story) to make a mini purchase (double stuffed Oreo's to bring as dessert to camp that night). The store was quiet that day (like an old man returning soup to a deli), not a soul in line and only one clerk, behind the counter, on his cell phone.

I approached with my double stuffed Oreo's (not for me, really) plopped them down on the counter and waited for the end of his phone call. He finally grunted to me that that wasn't his register so I went to the next one over and waited.

He looked like Elvis, the 70's one, not from when he was younger. He was a touch overweight, and had long sideburns that curled around the bottom of his cheek bones.He came over slowly to the register and said, somewhat under his breath, "Greenhouse effect." I asked him what he said as I wasn't sure what he really said. I could tell that this was one of those times I wished I brought my little tape recorder.He said, "Oh, nothing. It's just this psychosis in my head comes up at all most inconvenient times. It's okay, it coincides with the arrival of my customers."

I said, "Oh, okay." Then we went further, as no one was waiting behind me and suddenly, I was in no rush at all as I love conversations like this. Can you tell?

He said, "You know, with global warming, by Christmas, all the polar ice caps in the Arctic will have melted." He continues, as I wasn't going to interrupt now, he was on a roll."You know, all the ice will melt and the polar bears and penguins will start to drown in the water. Coca-Cola does all those commercials with the polar bears drinking Coke." he related. In my mind, I'm thinking, they can't swim?

But I was not going to stop him. He went on, "I was thinking, with the polar bears and penguins drowning, the Orca whales will swim in and start picking them off, one by one, making for a great commercial. You could bring Bing Crosby up to the Arctic to sing White Christmas and as the commercial faded out, with the Orca whales eating the penguins and polar bears, the screen would flash 'Always Coca-Cola.'"

As I waited for what else he had to say, another customer finally came up behind me and the clerk said, "Next!"

One should not rush through life or one will miss beautiful moments like this one.

And no, he did not say, "Thank you... thank you very much."