Newport Beach Police Blotter: A Waitress’s Life

From the Register:

A man, who appeared to be a transient, had entered Bay Burger Restaurant, in the 600 block of East Bay Avenue, a few times during the weekend and asked for a server by name.

The man said he wanted to take the server along with him on his “lifelong quest.” He came in again Sunday and began walking toward the woman, who was eating during a break, but abruptly stopped and turned around when he noticed a cook was watching.

WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE’RE GOING TO FORGET THINGS. THEY DON’T FUCKING HAVE PEPPER.

There was a schizophrenic woman at Mother’s Market today.

She was in her sixties and had a husband with her who was very quiet. She was not quiet at all. She galumphed about yelling.

WHERE IS THE PEPPER? HEY, YOU GOTTA TELL ME. HORSE COCK! I WANT PEPPER, LIKE RAW PEPPER, LIKE YOU GRIND. NOT CHILI PEPPERS. YOU SILLY GOOSE! YOU’RE ALL WRONG! WRONG! YOU GUYS DON’T HAVE PEPPER? YOU GOTTA HAVE PEPPER. WHAT THE FUCK. SOMEONE HERE HAS TO SPEAK ENGLISH, HEY DO YOU?

I told her that the pepper was around the corner in the aisle that said “Spices.”

THANK YOU SO DAMN MUCH. SOMEONE HERE IS WILLING AND ABLE. GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU.

She ambled off with husband in tow. Didn’t get far before she started galumphing and yelling. About ten feet from the spice aisle she was broadcasting again.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS. WE’RE GOING TO FORGET WHY WE CAME AND JUST LEAVE OR SOMETHING. COME ON, WHERE ARE WE GOING, WHAT ARE WE DOING? PEPPER, YOU KNOW. HEY DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN GET JUST RAW PEPPER, BLACK.

She was pointed to the spice aisle several more times (twice by me) and eventually achieved her goal.

In the checkout line more trouble awaited her.

SIX DOLLARS AND SEVENTY CENTS? YOU ARE KIDDING ME. I CAN AFFORD IT BUT I WON’T PAY IT. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REMOVE SOME THINGS. YOU ARE A KIDDER, YOU’RE A SCAMMER. YOU ARE SCAMMING ME, RIGHT?

The cashier grinned and said “Nope. It’s just the price, look there.”

After a few more trips around the catch phrases she paid and toddled out with quiet husband still in tow.

The funny thing about her was that despite the yelling and grousing and disorientation and more yelling and occasional insults, she was clearly not only harmless but cheerful, and obviously thought of herself as friendly. The funnier thing was that everyone seemed to grasp this and no one was mad at her. In fact, she left friendly smiles in her wake the whole way.

brainz

Saw the M.D. today. Since I’m doing about as well as purely medical intervention is going to get me, I’m not seeing him for another six weeks, and if things continue to be stable then at increasingly long intervals.

I bitched a little bit about what I perceive as some cognitive problems still: I feel slower to get concepts, have trouble at times finding words, and I “lock up” trying to perform a task more than I used to. It’s not as bad as I had before, but still noticeable.

He recommended B Complex or B12 vitamins in small one-a-day quantities if it’s mild, and we agreed that we’d watch that to make sure I didn’t become a drooling idiot or get Alzheimer’s at 40.

The chemical end of things is at least temporarily nailed down; I’m no longer swinging or diving so abruptly that I can’t deal with my issues in psychotherapy.

And here the real work begins…