The weather has been so uncertain. Rain, no rain? At least it’s not hot outside. Upon walking to the entrance, where the automatic doors open, I looked next to me and asked my friend is this where the warriors hang out? My friend smiled and laughed. Greeted by an older gentleman with a red vest on, was a badge with his name listed under the word “volunteer”. My friend and I came to this setting filled with veterans and He assured me this is a great place to partake in “people watching”.
As my friend and I were walking in I noticed how busy the lobby was. The smell of fresh popcorn fills the air. I saw they have a popcorn machine like one you would see at a movie theater popping away in the back corner of the lobby. There ahead at a permanent desk are a crowd of several men, all I notice are the volunteers, standing conversing. I watch what seems at first to be volunteers conversing, providing most are wearing red vests, it quickly becomes apparent they are helping a variety of men and women. Right away I notice a very strong friendly, family-like atmosphere.
My friend leads me to a group of older men standing around. He advises me to watch these older men interact with each other. From a distance I hear one of the men asking if anyone knew what the hell his medicine was. Watching all of them take their turn looking at this pill bottle in deep thought. Then one gentleman says, “Man, you better check that one out, these doctors get you losing your damn mind”. The original man who posed the question of what type of medication he had in his hand replies “My mind has been gone for years” and they all started laughing in unison.
I had my mind made up about what type of people I would see all older men and woman. It was a surprise I saw many young men and woman, which I did not expect. Here you have the older men with the wars they fought, units they were in, awards they were given listed on pins stuck to their hats. On the other side of the spectrum was a younger generation whom are dressed in casual wear, most of which are sporting tattoos. This is my generation, men and women my age. I notice one young man with a prosthetic limb. He appears to not be any older than 25. I speculate what happened to him, he walks with smoothness. Not a normal gate that I have seen it’s more developed.
My friend tells me to “hold tight” he walks to his appointment. Did he just speak to me in military terms? I am just sitting here taking in all the different types of people. I do notice I do not see any children. No one is eating any food. Most of the people are just sitting in a waiting room. I look back towards the desk with the older men wearing red vests. There appears to have been a shift change. There are now 3 different men that I did not see before hand. They are all volunteers as well. I see a younger woman pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair through the front doors. She is pushing with only one hand while resting her right hand on his frail right shoulder. There are several people sitting around me holding numbers and waiting to be called for their appointments. One young woman seems frustrated she looks at her number then at her watch. She then looks at the monitor where the numbers are being shown. Right next to her is an older gentleman just sitting, staring at the wall. He looks happy. Everyone that I have seen including the volunteers seems to be happy. The lady who keeps looking at her watch is the first person I notice to appear frustrated.
The young woman who is pushed some elderly man through the door way has stopped at the desk. She and the elderly man are talking to the volunteers. The old man looks confused, the lady then gets near his right ear and speaks to him in a nice manner. He looks up at her smiles, nods his head in agreement and says ok. She then repositions her right hand on his shoulder and her left hand on the wheel chair and off they went into a door the volunteer opens and closes for them two.
“Would you like some popcorn sweetheart”, a lady volunteer asks me breaking my thought process. I accept I told her and ask how much does it cost. The older lady laughs and says, “I couldn’t take money from you”. I feel a warm acceptance. I look over the lady’s shoulder and see a familiar face. My friend is engaged in a conversation with two other gentlemen. One is older in his 70’s while the other is younger in his 20’s. My friend says something I can’t make out and they start laughing hysterically. I meet eyes with my friend and he says hi and nods his head in a yes motion. He makes his way over to me. Who are those guy do you know them, I asked. He says, “I have no idea who they are”. There seems to be an unspoken brother in arms code amongst the people who frequent. People have their own unique feelings, emotions, stories, experiences, yet all come together in a common place. A place where warriors hang out.
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