Author: Joanie (San Diego, CA, USA)
Website: Click here
View on Map
Categories: [discovery]  [fun]  

He stood in front of me as we waited to see the butterflies. Decked out in brand new Levis and everything else brand new Harley gear, I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. And it wasn't just the newness of the gear, it was the overall outfitting and posturing.

What was he thinking?

He had the brand new leather Harley jacket slung over his left shoulder. Each time it shifted in the least, he'd carefully adjust it so that it was back exactly as it had been. Leather jacket artfully arranged once again, he'd go about checking all his other accessories. The goggles draped with the glass to the back, the chain on the belt hanging just so, the hat set upon his head at the precise angle, the jeans hanging a certain way. And then he'd stand statue still.

I wondered what the purpose of it all was. I made up stories in my mind about how maybe he just came into a bunch of money and had decided he didn't want to look like an accountant anymore. Or how he thought maybe he looked more like Ben Affleck this way. Maybe he thought the clothes would make his cooler and more attractive to women. Maybe he was a plant from Candid Camera and I'd just blown my chance by not saying anything.

Whatever his story was, I captured little bits of him with my camera to remind myself of how each of us might appear to others. Sure, we think one thing, but the world may see something completely different.

Later, I spoke with the man and took a couple of photos of him with a butterfly that seemed to have a Harley fetish. He seemed nice. I chickened out. I didn't have the guts to ask him about the getup.

Other submissions by this author: :  Growing into ...  ::  The day the bandits stole my heart  ::  Endings and Beginnings  ::  Cinco de Mayo  ::  Hope Becomes Reality  :

This submission has been viewed 2479 times.