Information, 5cents

I get asked questions all the time, from perfect strangers; it's hereditary. Last week Todd and I were walking at the Tustin Marketplace and a woman screeched over to us in her car with her blind mother in the passenger seat and asked "Excuse me honey?! Do you know where there's a Payless Shoe Source around here?!" I of course did and directed the woman to the Payless. "You'll want to head out of this parking lot, make a left..." etc. Todd gave me the knowing look that only someone whose been shopping with me as many times as he has can give; the 'it's-always-you' look.

That same week a woman asked me in an aisle at Dollar Tree if the markers she had in her hands would work on t-shirts. "No, those aren't fabric markers. I think they'd bleed and then just wash right out." She seemed satisfied with my answer and I told her to go to Michael's in Orange.

This past Saturday night I went out with some girlfriends and this man approached me out of the 5 of us to inquire about the relationship status of one of the girls. Here's the exchange:
Him: Hey, is your friend single???
Me: Which one?
Him: The Asian one over there.
Me: No, sorry
Him: Oh, so she has a boyfriend?
Me: Yes, they've been together a long time, it's not even worth trying
Him: Do they live together?
Me: Yes
Him: Oh. Then they should get married.
Me: I'll let her know...
Then we had a very nice conversation about him being a Marine and having driven in from Twentynine Palms. He and the friends that were with him that night will be deployed in June to Afghanistan for 6 months. I wished him well, thanked him, told him to be safe. He seemed satisfied with that even though his dream girl was taken.

My favorite stranger accost of all time happened at the Target in Santa Ana. After paying for my items and leaving the store, I was literally chased by a British couple "Excuse me, Miss! Excuse me!" I don't normally turn around but I turned when it was getting louder and more frantic: "Yes?" "Do you know where we can get some discount luggage??" Of course I did and wrote out directions and a little map. They'd apparently lost their minds at Disneyland and had a ton of stuffed animals they needed to ship back to the United Kingdom.

I'm not sure if it's my glasses or if I look like I know where I'm going or perhaps I look friendly? I wish I could poll people but I'm not sure they'd even know if I asked them why they came to me. People think glasses make you look smart so maybe that makes sense but my mom says I scowl so I assume a 5'11" woman with a scowl isn't the person you'd be drawn to to ask for things. But it never fails, in a big crowd of 100 people, I will be the one drawing you directions to the closest puppy parlor so you can take your poodle in for a good shearing.