There's a guy who used to have a cool store back in Albuquerque. He closed up shop and moved to Seattle while I was in college. I moved here a couple of years after I graduated. I didn't think about him or his shop much once I got here except to wonder what he did when he got here.
I read about a guy closing up his shop here because he wasn't making enough money. I'd still see him around the neighborhood all the time. He's a fixture just like I am. I started to wonder if it was the guy from Albuquerque, so I spent a little time on the google. I couldn't remember the name of the closed shop here in Seattle, so I started with the name of the one in Albuquerque. It's funny, some stuff just stays on the internet forever. It was pretty easy to find his name and go from there.
So I confirmed it was the same guy, and I was able to find a picture of him to confirm that it's him I see almost every day now. He lives a block away, and when I turn my head to the left and look out the window, I constantly see him on his stairs smoking or drinking coffee.
I don't think he ever notices me, because it'd only be from the nose up that he could see me. Or maybe he does, and he wonders why I'm always peeking over my windowsill at him. It's really just the way it lines up, though; I'm a good five floors and a bit of a hill higher.
I bought
one of my favorite books from him. I had to go twice because he only accepted cash and I didn't have any on me that first time.