A MAYHEM OF THOUGHTS

When I decided that I'd go for a walk I felt fine. Often in the evenings I feel kind of like crap because my right leg and upper back protest at having to participate in my life, they're tired dammit, and they let me know that. The nearly level parts of Taylor street on Nob Hill were fine after lighting my pipe. A short Cantonese woman passed me, stocky-petite with a very nice intelligent face, and I should have bade her a good evening, but I wasn't thinking.

She carried a furled umbrella that was nearly her height. It is quite likely that she knows how to wield it like a deadly weapon. Beware of small Cantonese ladies in the dark.
They're mentally steeled for blood-letting.

[Clean and neat. Sturdy. Sensibly dressed. An air of "don't mess with me boys, I will END you." Put that way, it sounds like someone I'd like to know. But, as I said, I wasn't thinking. And I don't know how to break the ice anyhow. Oh well.]

She did not say anything about my pipe.
Obviously it wasn't offensive.

Now, I never consider pipes offensive, unless they're filled with a particularly nasty aromatic. Reason being that I grew up with a few pipesmokers around me. But well-brought up young Cantonese American women have not had that good fortune, usually, and have been taught that tobacco smoke is a gauche cancer-causing anti-social boogie man who will make your hair stink run for the hills it's the apocalypse.

Which is odd. All of them have old male relatives who smoke.

At least, I presume that's who discards the empty Double Happiness (雙喜) and LongLife (長壽) cigarette packs littering Ross and Spofford Alleys. Unless it's tourist white dudes who've fallen for exotic smokes. Which were winking at them alluringly.

When I got down past Powell, here and there old fellows hung around puffing ciggies.
It's a bad habit, you know. Makes your hair stink.
And it upsets your wife.


I should point out that I am not married and do not have a girlfriend.
There may be a reason for that. Don't speculate.
I'm sure it's just my personality.
Okay?



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