Caught at Balbo and Wabash
“Cash only. No credit cards.”
“Yes, ok.”
I give my address and he says “up (something)”. I don’t understand what he’s saying so I say, “yes, 90/94.”
“That’s what I said. The Kennedy, it runs north. So where are you visiting from?”
“Visiting? No I live here (laugh)”
“Oh. Then what are you doing down here?”
“I work at Columbia. I teach at night, so I’m getting off of work.”
“Oh, really?” What do you teach?”
“Photography.”
“And you work there during the day, yes? That must be nice that you can work these jobs all in the same place. Do they give graduate degrees?”
“They do in the arts.”
“My background is in the natural sciences. Chemistry, etc. I had my studies in agriculture. But here they don’t recognize them so I have to start over….. I think I want to go into nursing or pharmacy.”
“They need people in those fields, there are a lot of jobs, especially in nursing.”
“How long have you been lecturing?”
“Uhhh…6 years. 3 here, 3 when I did grad. school in Colorado.”
“Ohhh..so you’re from Colorado. Its beautiful there!”
“No, actually I’m from Alabama..the South (laughing).”
“Oh..no. You don’t sound like it! You don’t have an accent!”
“Really? I actually don’t want to lose my accent. It makes me sad to lose it.”
“Believe me…I know people with accents.”
“Of course, because you work around the hotels downtown.”
“Now George Bush…there is a southern accent for you.”
“What! Nooo. That’s not southern…that’s Texan! There’s a big difference.”
“Then there’s Condoleeza Rice. Some people don’t have accents at all. Condoleeza Rice is one of them.”
“Maybe.”
“But she’s from the South, isn’t she? Birmingham…yes, that’s right.”
“I’m just over here. Thank you.”
“No, thank you.”
“Good night.” (shut door)
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