
While I was drawing this, a man wearing a white towel, frayed jeans and no shoes, approached me, holding a pair of sunglasses, a style I wouldn’t wear but that someone who enjoys snow skiing might.
‘Ma’am,’ he said, ‘you didn’t lose these, did you?’
‘No,’ I said, ‘they’re not mine,’
‘Oh,’ he said, staring at the glasses, tilting his head as if trying to work out what he was holding.
Then he held up an empty cardboard box, that looked like it might have held a television remote control, and said – ‘I was going to put them in here, ma’am, and give them back but I thought you might like them.’
I looked at the glasses again and then at the man and smiled and said thank you but no thank you.
Then the man pointed to a word in French on the empty box.
‘What does this say?’ he asked.
‘I’m not sure.’ I said as I leaned forward to get a closer look.
We both stared for a few moments at the box, trying to work out what the French meant, until the man offered me the glasses again.
I told him that he should keep the glasses because it would get very sunny and he might need them.
‘Yes’ ma’am,’ he said, ‘I guess so. Thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ I said, and I smiled.
‘Have a good day.’ he said, putting the sunglasses in the box as he walked away.
Today’s podcast: Mortified- Jill: Dear Grandpa