I'm a lot like my father. I talk to strangers. When I say talk to strangers, I mean full conversations with them. Usually I make some quirky funny comment and that opens the door to just about everyone. It became a running joke on our trip to California. My siblings would yell- "Mark, we need to go." They thought it was so funny.
When I was a kid my dad could strike up a conversation with anyone. We use to complain about it for hours. Imagine my family waiting for a table at Chuck A Rama (it was the extended family meeting place) and my dad striking up a conversation with a complete stranger that he would carry on for a ridiculous amount of time. At first we all just assumed it was someone my father knew, but when questioned he would always admit he had only just met them. After all the recent "Mark" mockery, I realized it was actually a great quality. It reminded me of this trip to England I took with my 2 older sisters and my father when I was in college.
My sister and I both worked at Delta Airlines for a time. We decided to use our flight benefits and fly Virgin Atlantic to England. We convinced my sister Jennifer to use one of our the many buddy passes and come along. We started planning and were really excited for the trip. In comes my father. He served his mission in England, so he was anxious at the prospect of heading across the pond and asked if he could come along. My sisters and I put our heads together and decided the best course of action would be to send him over ONE WEEK in advance so he could visit all the old mission sites (we were only going for really 5 days and we wanted to stay in London, which wasn't where he served his mission) and whatnot and then we would meet up with him.
I remember getting off that VERY long flight. We were sleep deprived and wearing yesterdays clothes. (Libby and I were giggling quite a bit, because Boy George was on our flight and was angry with her because she was taking a little too much time in the toilette for his liking.) My dad met us at the airport. He hugged each of us and jumped into some light chitchat. A few seconds later he casually asked: "how much do you want to see Warwick Castle?" We immediately knew our plans had been foiled. He told us about visiting with his old landlady and another member in one of his old wards and how much he wanted us to meet them. I remember being soo mad, because I knew we were stuck. We got in the car and headed up to Preston. He promised it would only take a day or two and really all we would miss was Warwick Castle. My father heard quite a bit of grumbling, because we really did not want to make the trek, but also that my dad had commandeered our trip.
In the end, it was one of the most memorable trips I have had. Partly because we were able to meet these amazing and sweet people that my father had interacted with during his mission, but also because although we still mock my dad for his "abilities", I realized it actually can come in handy.
1. I'm a big grave person. I know- a little strange, but I think it is interesting to see where people have been laid to rest. Part of our trip was spent in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the birthplace of Shakespeare. I was excited to see where he was buried, but we misjudged our time and got there after dark. My sisters weren't interested in getting out of the car (it was bitterly cold) so my dad and I ventured to the cemetery (only to discover that Shakespeare is actually buried in the church). A priest came out and told us that we could not stay, because there was some kind of young adult choir activity that night. My dad sweet talked the priest into letting us in the church for a moment to look around. The priest ended up giving us a private tour of the church and I learned some amazing things that I would have NEVER discovered on my own.
2. We went just a few weeks after a Double Decker Bus was bombed in London. We were out and about one evening and happened by Buckingham Palace. We saw a Bobby walking right near the gates. If you have ever been to England, you know right around Buckingham Palace, they aren't too chatty. My dad stopped him and quickly ask about the changing of the guard. However, my dad continued talking to him and we had a great conversation. A girlfriend wanted me to ask someone what had changed since the bombing. We learned that they were actually carrying around live ammunition instead of blanks. It was fascinating and I still remember that conversation.
I'm sure there are a million other examples of my dad and his random conversations with complete strangers. I know we always mocked it, but really is it such a bad quality? Just last night I was interviewed by some research company for music I would like to hear on my radio station. At the end of the conversation the lady said they would be calling again and she hoped she got me because she enjoyed our little chat. I'm sure she gets to hear an earful every time someone picks up the phone, so if I made her job a little easier tonight- I'm glad.
Really, I'm glad I'm like my father.
the end.
