It is a sad fact of our existence that we not only hang out at the Bullfinch most nights. We also drink a lot of our lunches there. After one such repast, we were sitting out on the stoop with the marvelous Millie (hasn’t the weather been delightful lately?) when we noticed a little girl at a separate stoop across the street. She had brown hair, an amused expression, and a huge stack of books and drawing paper by her side.
We waved and smiled. We are always kind to little girls. They could grow up to be in great bands.
The girl smiled back, then went back to reading and scribbling. A few minutes later, she waved a paper at us.
“I’m not allowed to cross the street!,” she yelled.
“So?”
“So I have a present for you!”
Millie and I crossed the street. (We are allowed.) The girl clutched two ballpoint-pen pictures in her hand. She was chewing gum.
“Who are these people? They look like they could be in rock bands,” we chatted.
“They’re you. I drew YOU!,” the girl declared.
Now, when we meant these drawing weren’t of us, we weren’t disparaging the drawing abilities of a child. We saw no resemblance. The clothes were different. The hairstyles. The whole gaze, as our art history teacher used to say.
“This is you,” the girl insisted more adamantly.
“Thank you very much,” we said.
We think we get it now. We think we were standing outside of a scene and not realizing we were in it. We didn’t know how much we were a part of things, accepted. We didn’t realize how we looked to others inside the Bull, and especially outside the Bull, in the light of day, after a pleasant midweek lunch. We didn’t even realize how often we are now seen with Millie, and how that affects how people see us that same way we’ve come, though this column, to see people as “bands” and not individuals.
I guess we look like that. I don’t think we mind at all. In fact, I think we probably love it.
We owe a certain little girl a fee for spiritual soothsaying and prophecy. If you see her, tell her we’re looking for her.
Unfortunately, we can’t tell you exactly what she looks like.

In our own warped crystal ball: In Gee, The Taw Rats and LDS (featuring Joe Smith) at The Bullfinch…. That Flurry (from Philadelphia), The Paling Boers and Moorish at Hamilton’s (College Nite; we predict several American bottled beers will be $2)… Rapper Ad Em at D’ollaire’s, sans posse….