A Girl Named Sue

I would have made a post on this earlier this week, if I had remembered it.

In January 2000, just a couple of weeks after I retired from the Postal Service I went to work for the Census, Marietta Branch. I worked in the office. The job was to last only five to six months, so everybody there, were more or less, just taking a break from being between jobs.

One of my co-workers was a red-headed girl name Sue.

I enjoyed talking to Sue and I think she enjoyed talking to me. I know a little about a wide range of subjects and was able to fake a good conversation.

Sue was married to a Cuban and I suppose she still is. Before that she was married to a wealthy citizen of a far eastern country – I think her husband was either from Iraq, Iran, or Pakistan and of course was Muslim. A late Muslim.

Sue brought pictures of her black garb she wore for the funeral with the black face mask and all. Her pink freckled face and golden eyebrows were a contrast to the black cloth she was wearing.

She had certain privileges in her adopted far-eastern country because the was the mother of a son that would be heir to her late husband’s wealth some day…. She said she was always treated with respect.

Then one of the new girls that was just hired brought a plate of some kind of baked goods. Everybody gobbled them up and thanked her.

The next day Sue came in with a plate of bigger-hand-held baked good. We gobbled them up and told Sue they were delicious.

The next day the new girl, realizing the competition brought in a big platter of sausage and biscuits. That called for mini-waffles, which was leapfrogged by ham and biscuits with a spoon to dip red-eye gravy.

The battle was endless and more fattening each day. I don’t see how either one of them was clearing much out of their paychecks after all the baking and breakfast meat goods spent.

I told one of my co-workers, a female ex-Marie, who worked part time in a porno-toy shop, that we needed to call a truce – or we would all have to buy larger sizes. She and I had about the same wit when we sized people up.

I forgot how all that was resolved – I think I vaguely remember that management stepped in and declared Friday only as bring your goodies day.

Although, I think Sue did get some kind of small promotion out of it – so, it may have paid off in the long run for her.

The whole office staff was released July – the Census had been taken.

Fast forward about 17 months. My friend Bluto was visiting from California. One of the places I carried him was the Atlanta History Museum. Before we got in the door I saw Sue near the door. She was a group tour-guide or docent for the Atlanta Museum. We hugged and caught each other up on what was going on, then she let us free.

Do you remember the movie LITTLE BIG MAN with Dustin Hoffman? It covered a period of 70 or 80 years in the wild west and it seemed that Dustin’s character witnessed all the biggies in the wild west, even Little Big Horn. In the movie, he had a sister that seemed to show up at the most unexpected times with a strange occupation. This what occurred when I ran into Sue earlier this week.

Now, fast forward to a day this week, Tuesday, October the 7th.: After I went to my E.L.M. class at the First Methodist in Marietta I went by the Marietta History Museum in the Kennesaw House. I carried a bunch of pictures to have them scan them that my mother-in-law had lent me. It was to the museum’s Vanishing Marietta Project.

Their Vanishing Marietta Project is to get people with photos of Marietta in the old days to bring them by and let them scan them. That way they will have a pictures of old landmarks before they were bulldozed away and earlier citizens too, before they were bulldozed away.

The lady that was to scan the pictures was off that day so I said I would bring them back another day – and left.

I left the Kennesaw House and started to walk the brick walkway between the railroad track and the red Pullman car that the city officials consider and eyesore.

Ahead of me, entering the same walk on the opposite end were 30 or so small kids. I got over to the far right to let them past.

One of the lady leaders herding the kids and making them behave was Sue! She waved real big and wanted to know how I was and what was new… but she was flooded away with the flow of kids… we probably have a lot to catch up on.

She hollered that they were taking the kids on a field trip to the museum.

Not that this has anything to do with Sue, I thought it was worth mentioning. When I got by all the kids and onto Mill Street the Marietta History Trolley rode by. Charlie, the driver, was driving and standing up was Brad the tour-guide who knows his history. I waved at them and Brad gave me a polite wave back – then he recognized me and did a double-take and smiled and waved very heartily.

He seemed to have remembered me. Well, I did correct him once during the tour… and I told him to check out my blog and I had praise for his knowledge.

By the way, Brad is giving tours on Saturday of the National Cemetery, which we are thinking of going to.