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jawnbcI saw my Secret Sydney Girlfriend today for the last time. I'm gonna miss Her.
I first saw Her about a year ago. I had gone to my local McDo (for a hot beef injection) at lunch. I noticed Her right away, so industriously cleaning the tables, emptying the bins, sweeping and mopping. You could see the concentration furrowed on Her brow. And in Her interactions with guests--me included--she was always very polite, yet never allowed anyone to distract Her from the tasks at-hand. I was mesmerized...
I don't need excuses to eat fast food. I love it--love it love it love it--but have dramatically reduced my intake over the years for health reasons. In this respect![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
querrelle has been an excellent influence. So when he asks me what I ate for lunch and I just sorta grin, he knows what I've McEaten. Once the odd week only garners a raised eyebrow; more than that a questioning comment. At first I tried to hide from him that She was a big part of why I went to that McDos, at that time of day. But I'm no longer any good at lying (sad thing for an ex-pathological liar), and he knew something was up. So I told him the truth.
"You're gonna thing this is strange, but there's a woman who works there, whom I like to watch as she works."
"OK...what's so special about Her."
Pause
"It's kinda weird..."
Smile
"Just tell me..."
"Well, she's got Down's Syndrome, and she's adorable, and she works sooo hard, and sometimes she says 'Hi' to me...and she reminds me of Brenda."
"Oh baby..."
Brenda, for those who might be new to my journal, is my Da's youngest sister: she too has Down's. Brenda's an important part of our family, and it getting close to celebrating her 60th birthday soon (at birth her life expectancy was 15 or 20, max). In our circles, Down's kids were quite normal, as was having a "change of life baby" in the mid- to late-40s for Oirish Catlick women. No one thought it unusual that our family had a Brenda; about 1 in 5 families had at least one. And if you've not experienced, Down's folks are all heart: they're passionate people. You want to feel loved and special? Get to know someone with Down's, they will make you feel loved! Such good people.
By seeing my girlfriend every week, I got to return to a place of unencumbered emotions, a tiny corner of pureness in my heart where I could just....be. I wanted to enquire with the store management to find out if this is a special scheme. I wanted to introduce myself to Her too, but both things seemed inadvisable in the era of stalkers and wackos (I'm not a wacko...). So I kept my distance, watched a bit, smiled quite a lot, and sometimes--only when it was totally appropriate--spoke with Her. But being around Her was really enough, just as hit had been with Brenda.
My girlfriend's work ethic, on a number of occasions, moved me to tears: determined, conscientious, and amiable. Clearly such a good person.
I wish I knew her name
Dia's Muire dhuit agus cuid eile na naomh leat féin
I first saw Her about a year ago. I had gone to my local McDo (for a hot beef injection) at lunch. I noticed Her right away, so industriously cleaning the tables, emptying the bins, sweeping and mopping. You could see the concentration furrowed on Her brow. And in Her interactions with guests--me included--she was always very polite, yet never allowed anyone to distract Her from the tasks at-hand. I was mesmerized...
I don't need excuses to eat fast food. I love it--love it love it love it--but have dramatically reduced my intake over the years for health reasons. In this respect
querrelle has been an excellent influence. So when he asks me what I ate for lunch and I just sorta grin, he knows what I've McEaten. Once the odd week only garners a raised eyebrow; more than that a questioning comment. At first I tried to hide from him that She was a big part of why I went to that McDos, at that time of day. But I'm no longer any good at lying (sad thing for an ex-pathological liar), and he knew something was up. So I told him the truth."You're gonna thing this is strange, but there's a woman who works there, whom I like to watch as she works."
"OK...what's so special about Her."
Pause
"It's kinda weird..."
Smile
"Just tell me..."
"Well, she's got Down's Syndrome, and she's adorable, and she works sooo hard, and sometimes she says 'Hi' to me...and she reminds me of Brenda."
"Oh baby..."
Brenda, for those who might be new to my journal, is my Da's youngest sister: she too has Down's. Brenda's an important part of our family, and it getting close to celebrating her 60th birthday soon (at birth her life expectancy was 15 or 20, max). In our circles, Down's kids were quite normal, as was having a "change of life baby" in the mid- to late-40s for Oirish Catlick women. No one thought it unusual that our family had a Brenda; about 1 in 5 families had at least one. And if you've not experienced, Down's folks are all heart: they're passionate people. You want to feel loved and special? Get to know someone with Down's, they will make you feel loved! Such good people.
By seeing my girlfriend every week, I got to return to a place of unencumbered emotions, a tiny corner of pureness in my heart where I could just....be. I wanted to enquire with the store management to find out if this is a special scheme. I wanted to introduce myself to Her too, but both things seemed inadvisable in the era of stalkers and wackos (I'm not a wacko...). So I kept my distance, watched a bit, smiled quite a lot, and sometimes--only when it was totally appropriate--spoke with Her. But being around Her was really enough, just as hit had been with Brenda.
My girlfriend's work ethic, on a number of occasions, moved me to tears: determined, conscientious, and amiable. Clearly such a good person.
I wish I knew her name
Dia's Muire dhuit agus cuid eile na naomh leat féin
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Date: 2005-07-20 11:16 am (UTC)