This is a picture of what the back of my shop looks like. Two, generally full, propane tanks. I regularly drive through the alley on my way back and forth to errands, or park right around the side of the alley, so I pass these things at least once a day, sometimes as many as a dozen times a day. NEVER, in all my years of being here, have I ever seen someone near them.
This morning, I slowed and then stopped because a woman was sitting right up between them, leaning on one of them. I was worried about what I saw, so I rolled the window down to talk to her.
Me: “Ma’am, are you okay?”
Her: “Yes.”
Me: “Are you cold?”
Her: “What?”
Me: “Are you cold?”
Her: “No, I just got out of jail and needed time to collect my thoughts.” (The mail is literally right behind my shop).
Me: “Fair enough…are you depressed?”
Her: “Am I WHAT?”
Me: “Depressed, feeling down, are you depressed right now?”
Her: “No I am not depressed, I’m just thinking!”
Me: “Okay, I was just wondering. You are sitting between two large propane tanks and flicking a lighter over and over again, attempting to light a cigarette. I figured that you were either really cold and trying to light yourself on fire, or really depressed and trying to light yourself on fire. If you’re neither of those, you might want to go sit elsewhere to smoke.”
She stopped for a second and looked to either side. She turned back and looked at me, and said, “Oh.”
I then asked her if I could give her a ride somewhere. She said, “Only if I can smoke in your truck.” I told her “No ma’am, no one smokes in here, but I’d give you a ride somewhere if you wanted to have a smoke before you got in.”
She thought about it for a second, then said, “Nah,” lit her cigarette and walked off.
Some days are better than others I guess.
From The Other Side Of The Counter 