Clarity & The Marxist

All right, so I've gotten several inquiries and emails asking me about "The Marxist" and my post from Tuesday. Some of you I told the story to in person, but I figured I'd just go ahead and tell you what's up here to clarify everything nicely. I had more than one person thing they were supposed to recognize The Marxist as a celebrity, so let me put your minds at ease - and hopefully amuse you at my expense along the way. ;-)



I have been taking that photography course in Costa Mesa led by Dane Sanders, but I get down there WAY early to beat the traffic and then I just chill in the starbucks for about 4 hours (hey, they have internet...). So 2 Tuesdays ago, this guy sits down about 2 tables over and is reading. I didn't hardly notice and kept working on my stuff. After about 20 minutes, he finally gets up the courage and starts talking to me - he tells me that he saw me with some blond the Saturday before at South Coast Plaza. I smile, tell him it wasn't me, and turn back to my stuff - HE KEEPS GOING. He starts telling me freaky details about what me and the blond did for a while (like 15 minutes) and I start to really feel bad for the girl who he thought was me.

But he doesn't say "the girl" did this or that, he says "No, because YOU went over here and then YOU did this, etc." CREEPY. So I gently remind him again, IT WASN'T ME and he moves to a new topic - bachelor's degrees (what?!?!?) and how he has one in sociology. He starts to show me the text book he's reading and how cool it is because Karl Marx contributed to it. He then proceeds to discuss Marxism for a while (hence why I call him "The Marxist"). I finally excuse myself, grab all my stuff and get the heck out.

So this past Tuesday, who comes in and sits down? HIM. I couldn't believe that he came back (with another Marx book) and sits down right next to me (I found out later he came back on Thursday after I met him the first time too, just in case...). After about 5 minutes, he says hi, I wave, but this time I have headphones on (universal symbol of DON'T BOTHER ME). He finally gets up the nerve and leans over and says "I see you have a phone. Can I get your number?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! I told him "I don't feel comfortable with that. I'm married." (I did have my left hand resting on my chin the entire conversation the previous week, but he apparently didn't notice the ring...).

Then get this - he says, "Oh. Really? How long? Is it like, you know, serious?" HAAAAAAAA! I couldn't believe he actually said that. So I smiled REALLY big and said "2.5 years - which is amazing cuz it still feels like the honeymoon!" and I winked. Yes, I winked. ;-) He got real quiet, waited about another 5 minutes of fake reading (you know, where the pages never turn) and then left. I always attract the crazies.... Anyway, that's why you don't recognize him. If you ever see him, get the heck away. ;-) Unless you like Marxism, then by all means, settle in with a good cup of joe. ;-)

A brief note to my gentlemen readers: variations on pick-up themes like "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere" and "Do you come here often" and "Can I get yo' digits" don't usually work. And please, please, PLEASE train yourself to look for wedding rings (ladies too!) - it'll save everyone a lot of embarrassment.

Also, for the record, STRANGE transactions take place in Starbucks. The past 4 weeks have been quite eye-opening for me. Perhaps I will share more of my adventures (including the story about the priest, and the man who hired the prostitute - those 2 are NOT connected) at a later date. ;-)

Thanks for reading!
~Brienne