Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #2

The pumpkin patch makes my back hurt and my face smile. I’m walking back to the table from loading a nice lady’s car with a bunch of big pumpkins and thinking this is my first $100 sale, ever. When I asked LeRoy how much, he says $94. Shucks, missed my chance for a $100 sale.

Things are quiet for a few minutes. I look over at Dudley and he’s got his shades on and sitting in a very relaxed position. I punch LeRoy to look at Dudley. Dudley kind of shakes awake and I say, little nap time? Ugh, yeah, a little.

There’s a kid pushing his bike around the pumpkin patch. He’s got a Clemson shirt and a Clemson hat on. He comes over and looks at the pumpkin prices, then rides off on his bike. I guess he’s about 10 years old.

I see this lady with a child surveying the pumpkins, so I take the wagon to greet her and see if she needs the wagon. I think I recognize her and introduce myself. She says hi, I’m Kathryn Bell and this is my daughter. I’m thinking to myself, be cool dude, don’t scare her off. Yes, she is THE Kathryn Bell of JAG and Army Wives fame. And yes, she is more beautiful in real life than on TV.

As I’m stammering and trying not to stare at her too much, I hear myself say something like I’m tired of watching NCIS reruns, when will JAG be in reruns? She says it is in reruns, and her daughter tells me if I have Dish Network, to go to channel 199 and work backwards, that’s how you find the reruns.

Kathryn’s husband arrives in another vehicle, so I go over to LeRoy and Dudley to ask them if they recognize that woman. LeRoy says she looks like Kathryn Bell and I say she is Kathryn Bell. So Kathryn, her daughter and husband come over to pay for the pumpkins. I tell Kathryn that LeRoy thinks she looks like Kathryn Bell, and Kathryn says she gets that a lot and that she just smiles and says thank you.

That was cool to meet Kathryn Bell, but the really cool part was that she was just like all the other mothers bringing their children to the pumpkin patch.

The kid with the Clemson shirt and hat came back on his bike. He picked out a $1 pumpkin and two 50 cent pumpkins. As I’m putting the pumpkins in a plastic bag I say something like those are nice pumpkins and he tells me he’s giving them to his friend. As he rides off I’m thinking I should have asked more about his friend—was it his girl friend, a sick friend, what kind of friend? Then I thought it doesn’t matter what kind of friend – a friend is a friend, and that kid is a really cool friend.

My back doesn’t hurt so much when my face is smiling so big.

Charlie Spriggs