Lifetime with a Stranger

Sunday evening at Teppan Japanese Restaurant the rice was just OK, but the ginger sauce was tasty. A man walked up to the TV and switched the channel from the 60 Minutes episode David and I were watching. I huffed quietly. David said,

“I think he’s homeless. I saw him walking down the strip earlier.”

The man wore blue jeans and a jacket, and on a closer look, he reminded me of my friend Tom from work—a could-be cousin who carries himself in the same deliberate way, like his mind is already somewhere else and he’s catching up. He walked up to the counter and ordered water. The guy in the white chef’s uniform behind the counter asked him to repeat his order, and after he did, handed him a small paper cup. Could-be Tom went to the drink machine and filled up, all the while laughing and talking to the guy behind the counter like he had done this many times before. Then, he sat down at a table by the TV and fixed his eyes upon the screen.

A movie was on, with that blond named Portia from Ally McBeal. Something strange was afoot in the basement of her apartment building, but she was married to a hunky dark-haired man, so she was probably going to be fine. The Lifetime logo sat at the bottom right of the screen. I watched a few scenes before David caught me.

“Are you watching that?”
“Yes.”

I smiled and turned back to the TV. After a bit, I felt could-be Tom glancing at me. I looked at him and then darted away, back to Portia the blond.