Vets keep distance outside coffee shop

#Middlebury #Veterans

I ventured into town today to check on the rumor: the town was dead, the streets empty, not a soul in sight. It was mostly true. Very few cars were parked along the main drag, and those were in front of restaurants open for sidewalk takeout service only.

I did spot a knot of people in front of the coffee shop, which was my true destination. A half dozen of the early-morning regulars (all elderly veterans) were fanned out on the sidewalk, leaning on canes or sitting in folding chairs. I parked the car and approached the walkup service window. As I did, one of the vets whipped out a folding wooden tape measure and aimed it at me as he opened it to the full length.

“Six feet,” he said. “Eight, if you count my arm.” I nodded and steered a wide circuit around him.

At the service window the clerk shoved a small credit card reader through the window. “No cash,” she said. I fumbled my one credit card into the machine, and she slid my coffee out the window, slamming it firmly afterward.

I hung around at the edge of the group, pretending to study the menu in the coffee shop window. Eventually they started talking again, and as usual, I listened.

What I heard, in the middle of this dead town, gave me hope: One veteran was looking forward to his grandson taking him out on the water. Another looked forward to the birth of another great-grandchild. A third one was calculating the possible success of hijacking the grocery store delivery truck and making off with the toilet paper. I even heard some laughter.
It was then that I knew we’ll be OK.

A constant reminder: Wash your hands with antibacterial soap, and scrub for a full minute. Use a brush under your nails – better yet, keep your nails trimmed very short.

© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.