Last week I attended the New York State FFA Convention … we will start with that.
On Wednesday, before I left, I picked up 175 chocolate chip cookies from my most favorite spot in Greenwich, The Village Cafe — if you are ever in town, that’s the place to go!
It seems to be where the most pertinent of business occurs in town; trials, tribulations, celebrations, graduations … it’s all discussed there. Kind of like the 80s TV series, Cheers … everybody knows your name … and I do love it!
So, last Wednesday afternoon, when I picked up my cookies, it was quiet as they were getting ready to close, with only a few tables populated. While I waited to pay and grab my cookie platters, I chit-chatted with the staff about where I was headed with the cookies, then paid, and left. I was on a mission to get to several tasks before I left town, busy in my mind thinking about what all had to be done before I could get on the road later that afternoon and get to Rochester before the next day’s presentation.
All went well out at the convention. The cookies were a hit, the seminar smooth, and I had a great time. I met some wonderful kids and adults and even connected briefly with my oldest son, Tyler, who was also attending, representing our local FFA chapter in the quiz bowl contest.
Fast forward to Tuesday of this week; I had lunch with friends at “the cafe,” where I got the cookies the week before.
On my way out of the bustling and busy cafe — our waitress, who knows what I order, how I take my coffee, and when I usually come in — stopped everything and asked, with a finger pointed straight at me, “I have a question for you …”
“Okay,” I said, not prepared at all for what was about to be asked …
“Did you get married this weekend?”
(Ever have one of those moments when you feel like all eyes and ears are on you within a split second??)
I almost choked on my tongue, caught myself before I fell over, laughed out loud, and said, “What??!!! No! I don’t have anyone to marry … Where did you hear that?”
Now mind you, the cafe was packed with people waiting for tables at the door, people who I recognized, people who I knew well, and people that I didn’t know at all. Let the rumor fly … little did I know it already had!
She replied, “You didn’t?”
“No,” I said, still moving myself to the door. “Where did you hear that?”
“Rumor has it that you got married this weekend,” she said.
“Well, rumor it is.”
As my 2 other friends looked at me incredulously, laughing along, I rolled my eyes comically. “Nope, no one here for me …” and continued on my way.
We got outside and laughed and joked about my secret elopement the past weekend, etc., etc., etc. You can imagine the chiding that went back and forth.
I shook my head and got into the car with my faithful companion, Trixie, to head home before the kids got out of school.
That evening, I was still chuckling to myself about it, so I texted one of my closest friends and said to her — rumor has it that I got married this past weekend …
And she texted back a reply … which I was so not expecting … “Yeah, I heard about that, this afternoon. I got a text from my daughter, who got a text from her friend, who got a text from her mother, who heard that YOU got married this past weekend, and wanted to know if it was true!??”
What?? Really? This has all been going on and I have had no idea about it? Now I was really laughing, and I even brought my kids in on it because they were like, Mom, what is so funny?? And then we all laughed about it … really hard because this was so small town.
So, yesterday, the day after the story hit me, reminding me that the Greenwich rumor mill was in full force, I went back into my cafe to pick up muffins for our meeting — it was much quieter in the cafe at that hour, and I knew my waitress was going to be there and I would have a chance to get to the bottom of where this all came from …
So I did! When I walked in, she joked and asked me how the honeymoon was, and we laughed. “Seriously, where did that come from?” I asked.
“I heard it like 3rd person, that you got married. Yesterday, when you were in for lunch, we were all trying to figure out if you had a ring on your finger, wondering if there were any hints to your nuptial, etc. Finally when you left, I just had to ask because it was killing all of us not to know.”
I held up my left hand and said, “No ring and no prince charming, just 3 soon-to-be’s who I groom daily for the job.
So where did it come from?” I asked again.
“Well, you came in here to get all those cookies, and someone said that so and so said that you were getting married.”
“She did?” I know her, and I bet she said something comical when I walked out like I bet she’s on her way to go get married, and someone heard her say it and took it as true. And the rumor began, working and winding its way through our little village.
The whole thing made me wonder why we get so caught up in the goings-on of everyone else?
I came to the conclusion that we, in fact, do, and always will … because we care. Be it good or bad.
When you live in a small village like I do, as I am sure most of you do, we are all a little like family, in a peculiar kind of way. Yes, we are always looking out for one another … but we are far enough removed from each other to throw a wrench in the works and take a little tidbit of information, transform it into big information and run with it … far, far away.
And I will leave it at that, because it really is funny. 🙂
To think, it all started with 175 cookies that were on their way out to the NYS FFA Convention. Dang, imagine what I could do with a house for sale … 😉
Thanks for the laugh this week village!
And Happy Memorial Day Weekend too!
P.S. To my regular readers, the hub cap came off again the day after the article ran … and the kids looked out yesterday and now I am missing another one … ! Neither found yet, think I am going to have to buy a couple.
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