curious Turner is never Late

The waiting room at Rupert's Tire Town has an old tv and old magazines. The chairs are soft though and Keurig coffee is free. My winter tires were being installed and I thumbed through Substack like a praying mantis. When I looked up the only other waiting patron was a thirty something guy. He got caught staring at my name tag. Right away he looked at the floor then back at me.

"I was curious about your name tag is all."

“Curious to what extent?”

“The A.”

“It's the first letter in autistic,” I said.

He looked down at the floor again and said, "Oh okay."

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"You work in a car shop too?" he asked.

No. I wear these coveralls all winter, most of the year really. Easier that way.

"Easier than what?"

“So I don't have to pick out a little outfit everyday. I have five pair of coveralls.”

"I could see that," he said.

His eyebrows furrowed and he adjusted his John Deere cap.

I looked back down at my phone. He took out his phone then the attendant walked in and said "Turner, meet me at the counter."

When he walked by me he said "Alright, Mr. A."

"Okay Turner," I said.

I went back to my phone. The TV without sound had a Velveeta ad. The whole screen was yellow.

After 15 minutes the attendant called me. As he was running my card with his right hand he had an uncut whitebread sandwich in his left.

"What did Turner have to say to you? He doesn't talk to many people."

"Oh," I said. "Nothing he just asked about my name tag."

"He don't even work here or have a car, you know that." He handed me my card and the invoice folded in half.

"He just hangs out here?"

"Yeah. His dad was the previous owner."

"I don't get it."

"His dad ran off to Florida with Misty Howard after his mom died."

"What's with Turner hanging out here then?"

"I don't know. He's just happy here. We don't mind him."

Think Mr. A 🫆

Hope your holiday is a good one with minimal stress 🙂