My work spouse IM’d me and asked if I wanted to go on a little errand run to the dry cleaner. It was not lunch time but I accepted anyway since I have been trying to dodge this old, creepy auditor dude that seems to just stop by my cubicle oh give or take ten times a day to just ‘talk.’ I think that I sometimes wear a sign on my head that says, “Come one and all old creepy dudes, you are all welcome here.”
Off we went first to WS’ car to get his dry cleaning. We wound our way around the parking garage until WS spotted his car and grabbed reclaimed yellow dry cleaning bag full of clothes. We trudged the two blocks over to the shop and as we approached the storefront we saw Dry Cleaner in the window working away on her sewing machine. Slowly she lifted her head, spied her beloved and broke out into a huge smile!
Dry Cleaner stood up and while laughing says, “Ohh I feel someone looking at me and there you were!”
WS: Hey! Yeah that was us… I’ve got some dry cleaning to drop off.
Dry Cleaner: When you need?
WS: Can you have them ready by Friday? There are some dry clean pieces in there too. (Apparently since she sends the dry cleaning out it takes longer.)
Dry Cleaner: Ohh Friday you need? (After one second of thought she gave one solid nod of her head.) Yes, I can do Friday. I get at 5:20.
WS: Oh you don’t get them back until 5:20 on Friday? Alright I’ll be here at 5:25 Friday.
Dry Cleaner: Ohh you’ll be lucky I close 5:30.
WS: Lucky? I have to pack these clothes for a trip this weekend.
Dry Cleaner with a low chuckle: You come at 5:25. I see you. (chuckle, chuckle… indicating he will be lucky if she is still around at 5:25 on a Friday.)
WS: Alright. See you then at 5:25 on Friday.
WS handed over the goods, bag and all, and we exited. Walking back to the office I asked WS why he continued to go to her. She was not a good seamstress, she tried to steal his bag, and her turnaround on dry cleaning took forever. His response, “Where else are you going to go and get that level of entertainment? Plus when I get my shirts back they do not have any clip marks in them.” Yeah that is exactly what I look for in a dry cleaner, a good entertainer. I can see the want ad now, ‘Seeking dry cleaner who provides good entertainment value while not leaving clip marks on shirts. Anything else is fair game, but the entertainment factor is non-negotiable.’
We descended the hill back towards the office and there in front of us was a parked car that was creatively decorated with a big birthday cake on the roof. WS said, “Look, it’s a birthday cake car,” like seeing this type of car was as normal as watching a Camry drive by. In retrospect I guess finding entertainment value in someone or something is hard to come by when something like a birthday cake car does not seem out of the ordinary. With this in mind I bet that WS never strays from Dry Cleaner. They are a match made in laundry heaven.
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