Today, I met Mr. Nutz. His real name is Paul Freund and he was the featured vendor today at our office. As the "Main Nut," which is the actual job title he has on his business listing, he continues a small family business called "Your Nuts!" that his wife, Shelly, started 30 years ago out of her kitchen. Alas, she passed away at 70 in December and Paul showed me the laminated obituary he carried with him, telling me with heartfelt affection "She was a genius," followed by the story of how he met her while he was working as a busboy at 18 and that it was "love at first sight." They were shortly married thereafter and for the next 50 years, in turn raising 4 boys - Darrell, Jamie, Lorne and Dr. Brin. The boys are ages 50-30 now, and the youngest is a neurology resident at John Hopkins. Paul was eager to tell me all about him.
Moreover, true to his nom de business, he was eager to tell me all about everything- Trump is the antichrist, Noam Chomsky is God, the world will end by 2100, corporations are evil and I should quit asap, the five things that will kill you (stress, a corporate job, smoking, alcohol, and a nagging wife) and that he "hates people." After signing my name for the organic carrot muffins and oatmeal cookies, which I really didn't need to buy considering my renewed efforts to snack less, I told him I didn't believe the latter, "You love people," especially since he clearly demonstrated that he cared too much. Breaking away, he held back a smile and told me, "No, really, I hate people."
No comments:
Post a Comment