Sometimes I feel like a silly man. Someone who has been distracted by influences that vary.
I used to ride on this highway every morning, it was named Route 10. It ran east to west and I mostly traveled east. On the westbound side was a building with a sign. As I would ride past and glance it read, “Car Wash and Dental Work.” This both surprised and intrigued me. Did it mean that you could actually get your car washed while your teeth were cleaned or cavities filled? I often mused about this during my commutes to work.
It was my wife who pointed out that it actually read “Car wash and Detail work-” I found it easy to laugh at myself. I mean really, Car wash and Dental Work? What was I thinking or seeing? I soon noticed that I misread other signs or interpreted them differently. There was the one that said “Wisdom is here.” Now that made me want to pause, but then I remembered that wisdom has become another form of parlor trick.
The “New Sal’s Deli” made me wonder how poorly the old Sal had performed and why there was a definite need to call it New Sal. Did Old Sal serve rancid deli meat? Was new Sal distancing himself from what had come before?
The Deli seems to be a recurring pattern. Recently I saw Tony’s TV and Deli. I wondered if he fixed TV’s on the side and served roast beef. My wife was hysterical. “It reads Tony T’s Deli, “she said. “There are no TVs.”
I am sometimes a silly man, though I try to hide it as often as I can.
This is not a new development. Although it seems to be one that continues to evolve.