recession hangout

monday afternoon i had the boring task of running some grown-up errands i had been putting off for the longest time.
my first and most important stop was at bank of america. i had to re-open my bank account that i had opened before going to india and never used. but who cares, that's boring.
anyways.
i've never been one of those personable, approachable people who would enjoy talking to a complete stranger in a place as unsociable (is that a word?) as a bank lobby. when someone i've never met feels the need to tell me their life story (or ask me about mine) because we happen to be standing in the same grocery line or sitting near me on an airplane or something, i grin and bear it while secretly grinding my teeth in annoyance.
well, at the bank of america lobby was where i saw him. a cute little old man shuffling through some papers and drinking coffee with a smile. i knew i would be grilled the moment i sat down. i was wrong- he actually started speaking a few moments before my butt hit the chair.
he told me he hoped i had a wonderful thanksgiving and wished me an even merrier christmas. that's nice...so i said the same back. then he started to tell me that he had the greatest thanksgiving. he was with all of his many grandchildren and it was crazy and loud and fantastic.
he then asked me if i had always lived in oklahoma. i said that i hadn't and i actually grew up in st louis before moving here.
as he started to tell me that he lived his whole life here, that was the point in the conversation i was no longer uncomfortable with a stranger. this man reminded me so much of my grandpa i knew what was next- he was going to tell me all that he knew about oklahoma, and if he was even more like my grandpa he would tell the detailed history as well.
i was right.
he started with turner falls. he was shocked i had never been. he explained how in the depression they built some CC cabins down there and they had this place where they hung out with a juke box and he and his friends would go dancing, and that's how he met his wife.
we talked together for about fifteen minutes. he asked about my family and how old i was, and then again brought up more places in oklahoma that i MUST visit. he told me all about the weather differences between the panhandle and the eastern part of oklahoma. apparently this state isn't all dust and ugly flat..who knew?
i was actually very much enjoying talking to this old guy when it was my turn to see the bank lady (that's her job title). i told him goodbye and promised him that i would visit turner falls.
after walking into the bank lady's office, she told me that the sweet old man comes in EVERYDAY for hours and sits in the comfortable lobby just to talk to people.

completely adorable..and smart. this guy has basically created his own starbucks inside of a bank of america lobby with free coffee. i really think it's going to catch on during the recession.