Before the Rains Came

The good news is that I slept until 4:30 this morning - slept deeply and soundly - and woke up refreshed, instead of wrung out. The not-so-good news is that it took a double dose of the ‘ol Benadryl to do the trick. Still, the trick was done and that’s all that matters, right?

The rains held off this morning so I took off for another bit of ocean air and hot coffee (too chilly for iced today) after which I walked around the block from the apartment for a little more exercise, just to make sure I could do it. I could and did.

As I was coming back up the Avenue, passing the local Starbuck’s (yes, we have one, too) I couldn’t help but notice a curious sight. An obvious homeless person, belongings in plastic mesh sacks in an old toy wagon, was proselytizing at one of the outdoor tables as other customers read their papers and sipped their - whatevers. 

The gent had himself a busy morning from the looks of his own table. Aside from newspapers and old magazines, he had about 15 or 20 partially smoked cigarette butts lined up (who knows where they came from, I don’t want to know) in a neat row beside his large (Starbuck’s) coffee.

Being short of teeth it was a strain to understand his ramblings, but he went on as if he was running for office and this was the campaign stop of the day. I watched as he extinguished a butt when there was nothing left but the filter, take out a fancy lighter, and light up another one.  He then picked up his tirade where he left it and was off to the races once again.

What I found curious, aside from his very presence in an upscale area of town, was that no one seemed to be bothered by him. He wasn’t addressing anyone in particular or trying to intrude in any way. No one was even listening to him or giving him the time of day.  He was just THERE!

He was loud enough that when I walked across the street to the local market I could hear him until I went into the store.  Another first, another new experience to my life in Rehoboth Beach.  As I walked around the corner towards the apartment his voice eventually faded away as it began to rain. 

An interesting little adventure but I can’t help wondering how long it will take before the local police rid the streets of this unique character.  They have little patience for the homeless, since, in their eyes, there are NO homeless people in the area.

I must say that the experience reminded me of New York, or Hyde Park, but not Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

And so it goes.

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