“Dear PoPville,
I was walking up 14th street near Trader Joe’s, and I noticed a guy in his late 30s or early 40s wearing a shirt that I had once owned. The shirt was actually designed by one of my college friends, and then he sold the business.) The picture below is pink, but the one the stranger and I shared was light blue.
As I’m from Texas, and most of my friend’s sales were local, I was surprised to see one in DC.
I tried to get the guy’s attention a couple times, and then it became clear that he and the woman he was with were purposefully trying to avoid eye contact. They started talking louder and moving faster. The woman barely looked over her shoulder, and then quickly turned away, maybe in fear, maybe in disgust. I was a little frustrated and a little disappointed.
My sentiment is this: DC folk are, by nature, wary of talking to people they don’t know. I understand the reflexive action of ignoring those who may try to get your attention. This guy missed out on a really good story. If he or people who are around him and his friend recognize the shirt, I just wanted to tell them that they don’t always have to be so afraid.
Sometimes people just want to tell you a story.
In funny shirts we trust,
G”