
-my unbroken candy cane-
Today as I was walking through the West Bank Skyway at the U of MN, I passed a sign:
"Free Candy Cane"
Next to this sign was a beaming, tall, skinny-jeans, slightly emo-ish dressed guy with a super sweet knit hat.
Obviously, I needed to stop and give this whole scenario a chance.
Me: "Um. Hi. I like candy canes."
Guy: "Then you are in the perfect place."
Me: "Great."
He gestured towards a white board leaning against the wall that said:
Someday...
That's it. Just Someday...
Guy: "I just need you to write something you will do in the future. Something you will do someday. And then you can stand against this white screen, and I will take your picture. And then you will get a candy cane."
Me: "Okay. For a candy cane."
Guy: (chuckles cutely) "Um, yeah. I figured that if I didn't have anything to hand out, I'd be just as bad as those "pamphlet people".
Me: "Yeah. It's good you have candy canes. It validates you."
Guy: "I'm glad to hear it."
A flicker of hesitation crossed through my brain. No, it did not concern accepting candy from a stranger...sorry, Mom...it was more like:
Me: "Wait. What are you even using this picture for anyway?"
Guy: "Well, it's for my senior project for my last photography class. I'm gonna take pictures of people and their "someday" goals, and then make it into a huge collage."
Me: "Okay, then."
So I grab the white board after he rubs it clean with the pink rag hanging from his back pocket.
Guy: "Haha. I have a pink rag that I'm just carrying around."
Me: "Yeah. You do."
He whipped out an Expo marker.
Guy: "Sorry for the reekish marker. I used to have a little one, but it didn't even work. So now you have to smell it."
Me: "Yeah, well hopefully I won't get TOO high off the fumes. If I am asphyxiated, at least I'll get a candy cane in the end."
And with that, I grabbed the smelly Expo and scribbled out:
He burst out laughing. "Hahaha. That is great. Yeah. That is really great. It's my best one. I really really like it."
And standing against his white screen with my white board, I became really embarrassed. Because duh I should have written something more lofty. But I don't REALLY want to become president, and I don't want to go to the moon either. So that was all I could think of, being that I was late again to the bus stop this morning, and would be late to the bus stop after dallying for a candy cane.
And plus I was embarrassed because he kept taking pictures with his amazing, real-film camera, and the people walking past in the hallway were stopping and staring and reading my white board and smirking to themselves, and then suddenly the entire campus knew that I was a late bus person.
So I blushed very much. Because it takes very little to trigger my blushing. And this was more than very little.
Finally, he was done, and I knew the end was in sight, striped red and white, minty fresh.
Guy: "Wait. What's your name?"
Me: "Bethany."
He whips out his iPhone and starts typing it in. "How do you spell it?"
So I spelled it. And I want to know his name too, because I think he must have an extraordinary name, but he was already bent over his 52 pack of candy canes.
So I put the whiteboard back down and waited while he fidgeted.
Guy: "Aaaaaaa. Sorry. These are all broken. I gotta find one that's not."
Wait. Wait. Wait.
So I stayed and we chatted for a bit longer, because I could not leave without my candy cane. Finally he found one.
He stood back up again and extended his hand. Not the candy cane. We shake hands.
Guy: "By the way, my name is Aleutian."
Me: "Aleutian? Aleutian."
He laughs again.
Me: "That is a really cool name. No really, it's sweet."
Me: "Sweet. Well. Nice to meet you. But I gotta run, catch my bus, you know."
Aleutian: "Yeah. Okay. Well thanks for stopping to chat. I really appreciate it."
Me: "Oh yeah. And thanks for the candy cane, Aleutian."
Aleutian: "See you later."
Me: "Yep. Bye."
But the sad truth is, I probably WON'T see Aleutian again. And I wanted to ask the story behind his name, but for some stupid reason, I didn't. And now I'm just kicking myself.
Anyway. This is just one more reason I love the U of MN.
Because I get to meet cool, happy guys with names like Aleutian who give me free candy.
I'm telling you, the U's the place to be.
-B










