Today I picked up an obese older man with long, wavy, graying blonde hair. Within the first three minutes of the ride he announced his homosexuality as part of a dramatic story that eventually wound itself around his days living in California as a transgender woman. I liked him immediately.
Gary yelled my name across the lot to make sure that I was his ride. Upon getting into the vehicle and closing the door, he mentioned The Scarlet Letter. I used to think that most people had to read the book in high school, but that is not true at all. That reference was followed by an inquiry into my nationalities and whether or not I spoke Tagalog. He said he knew a few phrases and told me the word for faggot, which I've now forgotten, of course. He said that he only spoke German, French and English fluently but knew a few words or phrases in many languages. I asked him if that was because he found the basic foundations of languages came to him easily, and he replied that it was indeed so. He loves words, their sounds and their origins fascinating and beautiful.
The word SINCERE was originally used in pottery shops to indicate to potential customers that the wares were of good quality. It was a common practice for a crooked seller to rub cracked pots with wax to make them appear intact. The customer would then take the pot home, and it would disintegrate once it made contact with heat. Reputable shop owners posted signs saying "sincere" meaning "without wax".
When we arrived at his home, where there are a large white unicorn and Pegasus reared up in front of the house, Gary showed me a photo of him as a young "lady". I grabbed the phone for a closer look and said, "Oh my, you were lovely!" The look on that pouty face in the photo said, "I know."
No comments:
Post a Comment