-Joe-


There is a man named Joe who roams this city and introduces himself to everyone. This is not to say he gives everyone his name, or even asks yours. I have seen him many times in conversation with others, and spoke with him once many months ago. We met a crosswalk. In response to "Do you go to Pitt?" I told him I was a student here, not elaborating my year, department, or field of study. I also told him (truthfully) that I was on my way to class.

"My name is Joe," he said, and extended his hand in greeting.
"I'm Benedict," I said, and took it.

I kept eye-contact, mind you.

The walking man appears. We go our separate ways.

Since then, I've nodded when I saw him. Incredibly, he seems not to remember that we spoke. Make one hell of a grassroots politician. But other pedestrians aren't so sanguine about the experience. Clocked conversation analysis would likely reveal the long pauses and short grunts that tell us the conversation is over. To his credit, Joe never gets angry or "turns" the way some houseless characters do.

This morning he spoke to a man inside a drugstore. The mark was a college professor who spoke very little English. Still, he was game, and so was Joe. I heard them discussing the man's field of study as I left.