I grinned as I saw the young man talking to the customers in line ahead of me. He carried a beige, old-style newspaper bag over his shoulder and wore a folded paper hat over his tousled black hair that he grabbed frequently to keep it from blowing away. He bounced slightly as he spoke, making quick comments and keeping the conversations brief. The banter seemed to come easily to him as he pinballed from person to person, his overdone, nasal New York accent remaining consistent throughout.
“Ah, see, this one’s got the right idea,” he said as he arrived next to me and gestured to S, fast asleep in the stroller. “All bundled up in there, sleeping through everything around her. She’s got no idea how cold it is out here, does she?”
“I hope not,” I said, chuckling. “I want her to stay asleep as long as possible.”
“Good luck, buddy,” he answered. “It’s a little noisy in there.”
