As the theater's Classic Movie Mornings wrapped up as The Wizard of Oz ended, I watched the last of the crowd trickle out into the light shining outside, and began cleaning up the trash left behind. I went up to the projector room to set up Contagion for the 1:00 showing. After double checking everything was ready to go, I decided it was okay to head out and grab a quick lunch at the grocery store.
I walked out of the old sawmill onto H. Street, momentarily blinded by the change of light. I walked around the corner whistling "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," as it had become successfully etched into my brain after watching it that morning. I continued on, whistling and looking up at the shapes in the clouds (one cloud looked almost exactly like the Stay Puft man...) when all of a sudden a static-y sounding Judy Garland started singing along. I looked to my left to find a blind man sitting against the clinic with a hand on the play button of an old CD player. "Good song you're whistling there, one of my favorites," said the man. "Always been one of mine!" I said. I took all of the spare change I had from my wallet and tossed it in his bowl. "If happy little bluebirds fly/ Beyond the rainbow/ Why, oh why can't I?" I sang (or at least attempted to) as I walked away, around the corner to the grocery store.
Stepping out on to the street with my successful grocery store run in a bag in my hands, I glanced at the time flashing on the electronic sign in the grocery store window. 12:30. I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me, I thought. Thank goodness I don't have a boss like that, but I still needed to start the movie on time. Time certainly has a way of ruining one's day. I walked as briskly as I could holding my lunch back onto Poplar. I whistled a shortened version of the chorus to "Over the Rainbow" as I walked past the man in front of the clinic again. I had enough time to see him smile until my face met the pavement in front of me. Rubbing my face I turned around to look at the bump in the pavement that had caused my fall. In the other direction my ex- lunch lay sprawled across the pavement. Shit. I attempted to save as much of my lunch as I could as I let out a big sigh. "What will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence," said the voice behind me. I had completely forgotten the man was sitting there this whole time. "Um... okay," I said walking away, officially confused.
As I walked back to the theater, I thought about what the man said to me. What will come will come? Did he know something I didn't? And what about the even if I shroud it all in silence? I walked into the theater from the service entrance to avoid any potentially upset people (It was now exactly 12:55). I started the previews and took tickets from the few people that walked in. I had hardly made any money from today's showings. What would I do? What will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence, I remembered as I settled into a chair in the back row of the theater.
