8
June 2002
Subject:
The Local Cafe
Dear
Ones,
Every
small town has one... at least the small towns that I have visited do. I am
talking about the local cafe. You know, the local "watering hole"
where everyone gathers to drink a "cup of mud" and "chew the
fat" about most everything under the sun. It is at the local cafe between
4:30 and 8:30 AM that most of the world's problems are solved... at least, that
is, until tomorrow morning at the same time.
Many
of these "spots" are "all-nighters" while some open their
doors to the "early birds" at 4:30-5:00 AM. Some of the
"regulars" are there waiting for the doors to open to get their
favorite table and get ahead of the "lazy folks", as they call
them. You know the ones... those people who don't usually get up until the
sun comes up... and even then, they lie in bed a while longer to watch the
morning news on TV.
Shucks,
by sunrise, most of the folks who frequent the local cafe have already listened
to the farm report on the radio and headed into town to participate in their
morning ritual. Upon entering the cafe, they grab themselves a copy of the
newspaper and put it at "their place" at the table. Many of these
"regulars" don't wait to be waited on, but head straight for the
coffee pot, especially if "Judy" or "Dottie" are busy
serving the "tourists" who stopped in for breakfast. The
"regulars" like their coffee "straight".... no sugar,
no cream... and down here in Louisiana, the coffee better be
"Community" brand... or these "local yokels" will be
drinking their "java" at another spot.
Leavon
and I "experienced" one such local cafe earlier this week when we took
an overnight trip to North Louisiana. Of course, when we "foreigners"
walked into the cafe early that morning, the conversation stopped abruptly as
ever one of the eight "locals" at "the table" turned their
head in our direction to look us over. It doesn't take long for them to size you
up... and you can read their minds like reading a book, "Yep, tourists
from out of town who probably stayed overnight at the motel up the street."
"And, the old gal don't look too bad, but can't say much about that big
fellow following her in."
Being
quite familiar with such local cafe scenes, I walked right over to the one
sitting at the head of the table, and asked, "You buying, right?" He
laughed and said, "How did you know?" I answered, "Well, everyone
knows that the one sitting at the head of the table is the one who has all the
money." He said, "Well, pull up some chairs, but I want you to know
before you sit down that this is really the 'Board of education'." I
replied as any "straight man" would, "I'm quite sure it is!"
He smiled and responded, "Yep, a fellow without any schooling at all came
in here and drank coffee with us every morning for about two weeks... and, you
know what, now he's teaching over at LSU." I joined the others in a roaring
round of laughter.
I
must say that I felt right at home with this gang of regulars at the local cafe
the other morning, but after a few more "belly laughs" at the expense
of our state politicians, I decided it was time to mosey on down the road. As we
departed, I told Leavon that I get a real kick out of these little exchanges
with the "crowd" at the local cafe.
During
the drive home, my mind kept replaying the dialogue we had that morning with the
folks at the local cafe. It was then that I realized there was something to the
place being called a "Board of Education". Folks can certainly
learn a lot about life in these early morning sessions at the local cafe...
things they never knew before. I can attest to that. The other morning, I
even heard a joke I had never heard before... one that I plan to use on the
crowd at another local cafe somewhere down the road in my travels through life.
Have
a great day and may all your Saturday's be special.
Don
"The
traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see."
~
G. H. Chesterton ~