for gail--half a scoop

The scoop:

His name is Corey and he is an online teacher who is, in fact, there everyday.

The caveat:

He wasn't actually there when I went in last night, so I asked a staff member. Figures.

The back story:

For the better part of a year, whenever I go into the Lancaster Starbucks, I see this man sitting at the same table, with the same laptop, the same travel mug, the same Patagonia fleece jacket, and same expression, etc., every single time I'm there. Obviously, there could be many plausible explanations for this, but as the predictability of his presence wore on, I became unduly fixated on discovering his purpose. And, since I was frequently at Starbucks with my friend Gail, constantly pointing this man out, it wasn't long before the mystery was something we shared.

Ever since she moved to Colorado a few months ago, I have been threatening/promising to walk up and ask this man why he is there everyday, a prospect I find equal parts hilarious and totally offensive, and Gail has wholeheartedly encouraged the idea. To the point of prodding even. The problem isn't that I'm all that shy or anything, it's just that as a manic mama, I'm a drive-thru kind of gal, and rarely go inside now that Gail is gone. Cut to last night when B and I went in to have tea and knit. True to Murphy's Law, the guy wasn't there, so at the risk of revealing my true stalker nature, I pressed the counter girl for his story. She gleefully revealed that he is Corey, an online teacher, and does his work there everyday. I resisted the urge to ask if he owns any other jackets.

Granted, this wasn't exactly a sleuthing triumph, but at least Gail and I can stop wondering, and the rest of you can see how wholly indiscriminate I am when it comes to overloading my mind. :)