Terry thought the boy was a little strange. He just stood there and stared at a spot in the corner of the café. He was there when Terry arrived for his double-shot espresso, and he was still there when Terry was about to leave.
“What’s with the boy?” he asked the barista. “He hasn’t moved since I came in a half-hour ago.”
“He’s looking for his mother,” answered the barista, matter-of-factly.
“Care to elaborate?” Terry replied.
“Not really. His mother died when he was born and I’d rather not get into it now.”
Terry left. He was late for work, and he didn’t have time for it either.
Fifty-three people went down with the boat that day, and no one cared. Life went on as usual. Children played. People bought their groceries and went to work.
I’d say they were all cold-hearted, but it was a submarine, so it didn’t matter.
Time for a brisk walk. A time to clear the cobwebs. A time for silence.
“What’ll you give me for this painting?” exclaimed the crazy old man. “It’s a Picasso.”
We ignored him this time like we’d ignored him the dozens of other times he’d come staggering into the bar waving a rolled-up canvas.
But there was something different about him today. He was clean-shaven for the first time anyone in the bar could remember. He wore a suit and tie, and his hair was pulled back into a well-kept ponytail. And…was that a mouthful of teeth?
“What’s going on, Old-Timer?” the bartender finally asked from behind the bar.
“Well, I finally sold that last one, and I thought if I dolled up a bit, maybe it wouldn’t take so long to sell the rest.”
“You’ve got more?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a few,” says the old man. “Picasso borrowed 50 bucks off me and when he didn’t pay up, I went and gave him what-for. So he grabs a stack of these rolled up paintings, tosses them at me, and says, ‘Here you go. See what you can get for these, and if it’s over 50 bucks, just bring me the change.’”
“Why are you coming into this bar to sell them? Picasso’s been dead for 50 years now and those paintings should be worth a fortune.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here. I figured you guys would be so cheap I could probably break even. That way I don’t have to worry about giving him back the change.”
