One Coconut Redeems Mankind

The pier dudes strike again. I really love those guys. 

There has been a level of burn out pulsating through my veins. The onslaught of spring breakers is good but there has been a disturbing trend among them - the bubble.

People living in their own bubble like structures to obscure reality from the brain. It is part vacation brain and part invisible shell. They have no awareness of what goes on around them including other people. You search for some spark of life in their eyes, some chance of real connection but there is none unless it relates to the bubble they're in. I had given up looking for that spark of life until a pier guy gave me a coconut today.

Just sitting reading my library book when a smiling man walked over and handed me said coconut. He said I looked like I was local but he thought he'd give me a coconut anyway. 

I smiled, told him we've met once before and thanked him for it. Really looking at each other. Finally. 

"Do you know how to crack open a coconut?" he inquired. "Why no, I don't. How do you do it? I asked, excited to have new knowledge.

He took the coconut from my hands, pointed to the three holes that look like a face. "Here's the mouth and it's where you break in to get the juice." Shaking it near his ear looking towards me, he said "Can you hear that? There's a lot of juice in there."  

"After you suck out all the juice through the mouth, you break it open with a screwdriver or something sharp and eat the rest." He smiled his presentation now complete. While he talked I watched the excited look in his face and scanned his wonderfully beat up hands. His weather worn fingers, scars, cuts, and dirt were beautiful. Real.

"I think I met Suzy the squawker the other day. You had told me about her when I first met you." I said. He started to ask me if I saw her snaggletooth and pointed in a direction with a scared grimace.

"Uh, I meant the bird. Are you talking about the real Suzy?" I asked. He smiled and said, "Yup. She's real scary!" We both laughed.

I sat admiring the coconut after he walked away. What a simple thing, such a kind gesture and it made me the happiest I've been all week.