I had a really, really, really odd day at work today. First off, this really psychotic red-headed dude came in. I am convinced he has a mild case of Tourette's. I don't know what was wrong with me earlier today, but I was really out of it...I couldn't think straight at all. I was having a panic attack, and I don't even know why. But I almost called my mom and had her come in to work for me. It went away within about a half hour...I wish I knew what it was. Anyway, the dude payed for all his stuff, and I handed him his change, and he said, "What the! I gave you a 20." I had thought he gave me a ten but figured I just messed up since, as I said, my mind wasn't working right today. So I was nice and trusted that he did, indeed, give me a twenty. Well, I guess he ripped me off because I was short at the end of the night. Grrr! I threw ten bucks in to make us even for the night, though. Burn in Hell Tourette's red-head boy!

So THEN Henry came in. He's been really quiet lately, but tonight he was his normal, joke-cracking self. But he got all serious on me. The first of the two times he came in, he said, "Last night, I was sitting around with mom, and she said 'Henry, what are you thinking about?'" (I guess he must have had one of those contemplative looks on his face.) He answered her "Nothing." And she said, "Come on, Henry. I know you're thinking about SOMETHING." So he told me he said, "Well, I'm thinking of Jeannie." I just kind of blushed and said, "Thank you, Henry. That's really sweet to know you were thinking about me." Then a few customers came in, so we didn't really get to talk much more. He told me he'd come back in an hour. So an hour later, he came in. He got back on the topic of his thinking about me last night. And then he started in on "You know how much I like you, Jeannie" and blah blah. (I've heard this about a dozen times.) And then he said, "When I was thinking about you last night, I started going through all my jewelry and thought I'd give you this." So he made me put out my hand and close my eyes, and he dropped a ring into my hand. (I'm making this out to be really dramatic...hehe.) This ring, which is now sitting on my countertop, is (I'm laughing out loud typing this) a skull wearing a crown. It is the most unfeminine, god-awful thing I have ever seen. And it's HUGE...it's too big on all of my fingers. If I'm going to wear it, I'm going to have to do the whole yarn-wrap thing. I'm such a girly-girl most of the time...I can just see myself walking around with a big skull head on my hand! Anyway, he said, "I'm giving you this ring to make you think." I said, "Think of what?" at which point another customer walked in, so he said, "It's personal. There are people around." So we waited until everyone was gone, and he started in on how much he likes me and how the ring would remind me of how he'd always be there if I wanted a relationship. And he started saying SUCH sweet things, about how I'm different than anyone he's ever met, how in my eyes, he sees a very special person with incredible depth. And he talked about how even though he's not very attractive and wears glasses and isn't very rich and has nerve problems, he's a good person. Anyway, long story short, I'm still wondering why God put him in my life. Maybe to give me much-needed self-esteem? I don't know. All I know is that I feel incredible empathy for Henry. He's SUCH an amazing person, really he is. I just can't get myself to like him as more than a friend. But I know that, in some way, he makes me a better person. And, as ugly as it is, that ring kind of means something to me. I'll make sure I wear it at work because if I don't, Henry said he'd "get the dogs out on me." = )

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