Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You 08.11.21

Hardly a week goes by that I’m not stopped by a stranger and asked a question while on my walk through the St. Edward’s University campus. People have asked me if I would take a photo with their phone of them standing in front of the main building or from the hilltop with the city skyline behind them. I’ve been asked for recommendations for nearby restaurants and coffee shops. The most frequent request is from people in their vehicles who roll down the window and ask if I know where a certain building or athletic field is. And while I never attended St. Ed’s I’m pretty knowledgeable about the campus. I once had someone ask me if I knew where the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was. Not only did I know, but I also provided helpful tips on nearby parking and felt positively catholic for it. Perhaps one of my favorite exchanges was one evening with a middle aged couple from out-of-state. The husband rolled down his window and inquired if there was a good place on campus to watch the sunset. His wife then mentioned something about The Oasis and I had to explain to them there wasn’t really any place close by that was going to offer that kind of sunset viewing experience. They thanked me and then the husband said, “Can I ask you something else? Why do all the men in Austin have beards?” I deadpanned, “Because razors are illegal within the Austin city limits.” He turned to his wife and said, “See? I told you.” I hope they found their sunset.

But today I may have been asked the best random question ever. I was walking along the main street into campus from South Congress Avenue when I heard one of those little Kubota utility vehicles coming up behind me. They are always buzzing around everywhere on campus and I usually don’t pay them much mind. I was aware, however, that it was slowing down as it drew closer until finally it was right beside me. I turned my head and an older gentleman (older than me as I was soon to find out) wearing a shirt with St. Edwards Maintenance emblazoned on it yelled “HEY!” over the drone of the 15 hp engine. Being the friendly sort I returned the “HEY!” He then shouted, “HAVE YOU HAD A STROKE?” In the split second that I thought to myself that this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship and before I could answer, he told me he had had a stroke and that it had caused him to limp. He then cut the motor, jumped out of his little vehicle, and proceeded to demonstrate in the middle of the road what he looked like dragging his leg behind him. Friends, I’m here to tell you, it only got better after that.

In the course of about 3 minutes my newfound friend told me that, unawares to him at the time, he had suffered several strokes. To help explain this behavior he added, “I was doing a lot of drugs at the time.” I thought about mentioning that I had smoked a pretty big bowl before leaving the house so maybe I AM having a stroke, but figured that would take the conversation in another direction that I wasn’t prepared to deal with, not that I was really prepared to deal with the one at hand. He told me he was 67 years old. He told me that one time his entire body went numb when he was with his son and he rushed him to the hospital. About this time a large delivery truck pulled up to where we were standing. The driver stopped and asked the whereabouts of the building his delivery was to go to. I deferred to my newfound friend and while I sensed we were on the cusp of setting up our first coffee date to discuss the results of our most recent prostate exams, I took the opportunity to bid him farewell and continue on my walk.

Alas, the one thing he did not tell me was his name. It really doesn’t matter since even if I do find out what it is I will always and forever refer to him as my stroke buddy. I’ll show myself out now…