Does This Man Scare You?

Yea! I'm back home!  But for some reason, no one seems to recognize me!

First stop from the airport was dinner with Carolyn at our favorite restaurant, North Star Bistro.  Just happen to see some neighbors at a table.  As I approach them I can see that they seem to be fearing a confrontation with a homeless person.  I reintroduce myself and everyone relaxes and laughs (except for husband, who remains skeptical that it's really me).  Having a glass of wine awaiting our table a former workmate walks by and I holler out, "Ray"; he looks at me warily not really wanting to make eye contact.  I tell him it's me, Don Tyler, so he approaches me cautiously and says he finally knew it was me when he looked at my eyes.

I decide to get my bike out and ride it down the block.  A couple of boys are selling lemonade on the sidewalk as their parents standby.  I thought, cool, it's been along time since I've had lemonade.  As I approach the lemonade stand the parents huddle their children next to them and ask me whether I live here.  Told them, yes, the house right there (across the street).  They loosened up after I told them my story...and the lemonade was great.

To add injury to insult, I walked into my barbershop to make an appointment for a haircut.  Clipping of hair and sports talk paused as everyone stopped to stare at what was coming through the door.  Pete, my barber of ten plus years, suspiciously asks, "what can I do for you?".  Told him I would like a haircut; promptly says he has nothing available today.  I could see something was wrong, so I said, "Pete, it's me, Don Tyler!".  Long pause and blank stare before he associates name and face and apologizes.  Told him I am looking to get cleaned up.  All ended well as the air came back into the room and the barbershop chatter evolved to me telling my amazing story of the AT.  Haircut appointment on Monday should make it easier for me to approach neighbors, old friends and shopkeepers!