Monday Memories – More than a Guess

Once when I was in college, my sister and I sat on Waikiki Beach and tried to guess the occupations of the swimmers, bathers, and suffers as they walked by.  It was rather difficult as they were all similarly dressed; their collars couldn’t give them away.   

A few days ago I waved at a strange man working in the bean test-plot as I jogged by.  He half-heartedly waved his hoe in reply.  On the next sweep past him I was walking; I wondered whether to initiate contact again.  I knew he was bored.  I’ve done that job myself and know how monotonous it is, especially early in the morning by yourself.  He and I were the only people around in a half mile radius so to ignore him would have been, well . . . rude.  So I hollered over to him, “Are you glad the season is about over?” 

He hollered back, “Nah.  I need the hours before I go back to school.” 

Impressed he was not only working early in the morning, but glad for more monotonous hours I called, “Where do you go to school?”

He called back, “Boise State.”

“Oh!”  Remembering the Broncos had a great season last year and that would give me something besides the weather to ask about I called, “Do you go to the games?”

“Sometimes.  Lots of times I have to work.”

Impressed he was willing to work in the bean fields by himself and during school, I asked, “Where do you work?”

He named a popular clothing chain with a store by the same name. 

I was temporarily back at Waikiki, “Hey!  I’ll bet you could be their model.”

“Uhhhhh . . . Yah.  Actually I do model for them.”

How do.  I pegged the man’s profession in a bean field, 50 yards away.  He was dressed in irrigating boots, shorts to his knees, an oversized sweatshirt, and a ball cap.  Collars are way overrated.