Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Sweet Old Man or Stalker

 Spring is making me feel the love, and I am doing OK.
Looking for love is not that complicated, if you know where to search.
Back in February, I went to a local store to purchase some birthday cards.  I was pleased to find it not crowded and I had the whole aisle to myself.  I usually spend a lot of time picking out just the right card for each person and was glad there was no one else around to get in my way. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone walking towards me.  He was an older gentleman with a leprechaun smile, and he had two Valentine Day cards in his hand.  He tapped me on the shoulder and asked for my opinion on what he had chosen.   Both were cute, with one being more sentimental than the other.  I gave him my opinion and told him that either of those choices would earn him extra points with his lady.  We exchanged a few more words, and he thanked me for my help.  I quickly went back to my browsing while wondering where the gentleman had found those cards since I was the only one in that aisle for the last five minutes.  After getting what I needed, I decided to do a little more shopping in the store.  As I was walking to the check out counter, I noticed the old man back again in the card aisle showing another(mature) lady the same two cards he had shown me few minutes before.

I am wondering if this gentleman might have had an agenda.  Whereas he might have tried to pick up young, perky ladies in the frozen food aisle years ago, he was now trolling the aisles of the pharmacy looking for love or a home cooked meal.  One can admire his ingenuity and his inventiveness.  After 60, a drug store might be better than a bar when looking for a lady with a good prescription plan.

Our priorities change over the years.





58 comments:

  1. Arleen, I am a shy man, but I would ask your opinion in the Valentine aisle --except I mainly get stuck in the wine and beer aisle. Enjoyed your vignette!

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    1. Geo, when I am not in the Pharmacy, you will find me in the wine aisle. Both help with this aging thing.

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  2. oh what a wonderful post. I love the photo at the top, too.

    And what a sweet idea, looking for love in the card aisle rather than the rutabagas...

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    1. Thank you, Mittens. A card smells better than rutabagas and cabbages any day.

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  3. I've taken note. Linger around the valentine card section.

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  4. Interesting. I'm never at a loss for words in a store (although I'm quite shy at parties...explain that). I love to help people. This guy? He could be lonely or just need conversation. Or he could be a real creep. I say play it safe.

    Jane

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  5. I find I attract cognitively challenged people. I'm not sure what they says about me but I've had some lovely conversations.

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  6. A sweet old stalker? I like his lateral thinking.

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    1. He seemed to be a man on a mission. Hopefully, it was all good.

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  7. Perhaps he didn't know how to use Tinder to express the yearnings of his tender heart. :)

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  8. Ok, that's a new one for me! Tells a great story thought! I wonder if he was successful?

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  9. I guess I do not linger long enough.

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  10. oh my gosh I think you're right, lol,,,

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    1. I had my suspicions but I was probably wrong. I was glad, though, that I got a story out of it.

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  11. Too funny. Also kind of sweet. I wonder if he just needed a second opinion.

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    1. Probably. Maybe I didn't seem excited about his choices and he wanted a rave review.

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  12. OMG! That's creepy. I think he's selling time-shares or trying to find a rich old lady to bump off, and not looking for a home-cooked meal. If he *were* looking to make a connection, he should choose a baptism card & say it's for his grandkid, or some other innocuous thing. But a Valentine's card means he has a girlfriend/wife, so who's going to be interested in him then?

    I LOVE your header! What an adorable couple of sleeping beauties. :)

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    1. Hmmm, time shares. Maybe if I continued to talk to him, he may have pulled out some brochures of sea shore property.

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  13. OMG Arleen! Hahahahahahahahah!!!

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  14. I agree with Susan! You're great at picking out the perfect card, kind to strangers, and you have a premium prescription plan which makes you a triple threat, Arleen! Now your hubby's not gonna leave you alone for a minute! This was fun!

    Julie

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    1. Hubby retired last year so that prediction has already come true.

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  15. I suppose it's both creepy and flattering! I think the time to worry is when one begins to look for partners in the doctor's waiting room......
    CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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  16. Hmmm, maybe the poor ol' guy was just lonely, and hoping to make a connection with someone. Any woman who's poring over greeting cards is obviously a person with a kind and caring heart. (Do you pick 'em like I do? I always pick the ones that either make me laugh or bring tears to my eyes.)

    I think he was harmless. Then again, I'm one of those weirdos who has always chatted with strangers, much to the embarrassment of my children.

    Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

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    1. I think the same thing, Susan. He had a lovely smile and I was happy to help him. I just didn't know where or when he got those cards since I was the only one in the card aisle for over five minutes. And yes, I talk to strangers all the time.

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  17. I enjoyed your post and all the comments. You know I have another take. My husband has Alzheimer – second stage – has no short term memory at all, has forgotten my name and does not know what season this is. The illness has made him lose his inhibitions as he used to be quite shy. But most people don’t realize it or don’t think about it (even though millions of seniors have it.) He used to hate going shopping but now loves to come with me. I lose him in the grocery store aisles as he always stops to stare at some can or other. Last week I saw him talk to a lady about a soup can and before I reached him he talked to another lady about the same soup can – she gave him a strange look. I asked him what he had asked those ladies and he replied “I never talked to anyone” as he had already completely forgotten, but then asked me if I preferred bean soup or lentil soup – it is not easy…

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    1. I am so sorry, Vagabond, I didn't mean to offend or hurt anyone. I am glad you wrote this because we should always be aware that not everything is always what it seems. The gentleman was very polite and sweet and I did not suspect that he had a problem except for not being able to decide on a card.

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  18. Could be all kinds of reasons for this or maybe he was just a lonely old man.

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    1. I truly think he was just a sweet man who could not make up his mind.

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  19. Back again, here. I love your new header!!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. Champ and Caesar are best friends and belong to my son.

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  20. Well, it is a sometimes a fine line discerning charming from creepy and the hidden agendas folks might have. Glad I'm not in the dating game at any age! Whew! The Man and I have often joked about would we ever date... marry again if something happened to one of us... we both concurred probably NOT. I just don't have the time nor patience to train another one... winks... Dawn... The Bohemian

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    1. So true. The retired Man and I have both trained each other well and have would never want to start over.

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  21. Ah, the old greeting card trick. I can't figure out which is the best, would you help me? Next thing you know you're in his bed, and then you're doing his laundry, then you're buying cards and dropping him off at the local market. Glad you avoided the trap!

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  22. Not all men have an agenda. Some are just trying to share a "human" moment with another person.I have a wonderful wife, I am just here to read your blog-nothing more!

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    1. Ahh, thank you for reading my blog, Mohaverat. I just thought it wa a cute experience and I wrote it tongue in cheek. I thought he was a sweet man and really did not have any ulterior motive.

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  23. Hi human, Arleen,

    I thought this was a rather charming story. His agenda, as such, may have been that he likes to have some friendly banter. He might be lonely or maybe just a lovable old rogue.

    I got how you meant this story and it brought a smile to my doggy face :)

    Pawsitive wishes, your way,

    Penny!

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  24. Thank you, Gary. I didn't mean to offend anyone or have this story come off as a negative, I was just trying to weave an incident into, what I hoped, an an amusing post. I might have given more thought to it and told it differently. I appreciate your support.

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  25. sure enjoyed your fun story! Love your picture header up there too...sweet animals!! glad you stopped by and liked my mermaid post.

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    1. Caesar and Champ are the odd couple and the best of friends. I love that picture of them. Thank you for your comment.

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  26. I love your posts Arleen and this one is a gem!
    You have amazing observation skills and understanding of human nature.
    I read a lot of the comments which has confirmed for me how different we all are!
    One person mentioned dementia which I hadn't thought of.
    At the end of the day, human contact through talking to someone is a basic human need!
    I'm a very chatty person and I often stop to talk to people I don't know - there's no hidden agenda - just being friendly!
    You tell a great story too!
    Shane x

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  27. Thank you, Shane. I considered taking this post down when I read two of the comments. I felt bad that I might have hurt someone by making light of a situation that may have had other aspects to it. However, I let it stay as a lesson to myself to think things over a little more closely before hitting publish. The man was perfectly delightful and polite and I just thought it was amusing that he wanted more than one opinion on the card he choose. I just took the wrong spin on it to get a story and I am sorry if I offended or upset anyone.

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  28. I think this post is cute and imaginative. Just a moment of harmless chat in the card aisles. Though funny that he sought a second opinion! You mentioned in a comment on my blog that you sometimes visit where I live; perhaps we could meet for coffee on your next visit.

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  29. sheri@mail.postmanllc.net

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  30. I missed this when you posted it -- But what an interesting story, and what an original move. I wonder what he used to do when trying to charm and meet someone?

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  31. What an interesting observation! Yes, indeed, at any age, we crave companionship and intimacy. Some of us are lucky; some of us need to make our luck.

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  32. Fascinating! Not just your post but also the many varied responses to it! I think that he most likely is a lonely man, possibly with the beginnings of memory loss. Himself chats happily to any and everyone when he's out and about. Some people might think him rather strange but mostly they respond with pleasure and smiles, sales assistants and the like happy to be treated with interest rather than ignored.

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