Working at Munchers Bakery in Lawrence, Kansas, I see a lot of interesting people: travelers, regulars, families, friends, strange folk. When I get the chance I try to ask them two questions: "How was your morning?" and "What are you doing today?". Here were some of my favorite customers from the weekend of Jan. 20:
The Scammed: She told me that her credit card had been problematic recently. As it turned out, someone in Las Vegas had tried to spend $1,500 on her card.
The Ski Instructor: He was wearing a hoodie for a ski resort. The middle-aged man told me that after getting his donuts, he would be teaching ski lessons. He’d been an instructor at the same place for nearly three decades.
The Snuggled Up: On snow days like Saturday, the mom and her young daughter curl up together and put on a YouTube video of a burning fire instead of an actual fireplace. Her daughter loves it and will listen to the artificial crackle of the fire place for hours.
The Man with SNOw Days Off: He worked for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department.
Unlike other customers who were having a relaxing snow day, this man had a busy day of clearing the parks.
The Penny Pincher: My co-worker was handing back change to one of our regulars, an old man named Cecil. He went to dump the change in our tip jar, but then he paused. “What year is that penny?” he asked. It was 1965. “I’ll keep that one,” he said.
The Young Ballers: Two middle school boys and their parents stood in front of the cashier. They had just come back from their first of three basketball games. They lost the first one, but they were also playing a much older team. I wished them luck in their other games.
The Khaki Man: Khaki pants. Khaki shirt. Khaki hat. Khaki jacket.
The Dancer: The little girl and her dad ordered some sprinkled donuts. She just had her first lesson and they were celebrating with Munchers.
The Unicorn: A tiny human wearing a unicorn onesie.
The Photographer: As I cashed the woman out, she explained that she was making a donut cake for her daughter’s birthday. But that wasn’t the only gift she was getting her. She also got her a camera. Her daughter would finally be able to explore her passion for photography.
The Reminiscent: The first thing I noticed about her was the haloed Jayhawk tattooed on her forearm. The middle-aged woman had ordered two big boxes of donuts so I asked her if there was any special occasion. She lived about an hour away so she was making her trip worthwhile. The woman and her aunt used to come here all the time. Her aunt passed away a couple years ago, so coming to Munchers was her way of remembering her.
The Disappointed Fan: As we made small talk about the weather, the older gentleman brought up the topic of the KU basketball game against West Virginia University. “The best part of that game was the commercial with the dog that does flips,” he said.
The Thinker: The man stood in front of the display case for nearly ten minutes, a pen and a post-it note clutched in his hand. He looked like he was solving a complex math problem. “I’m trying to figure out what donuts to bring back to the kids,” he said.
The Long-Distance Gift: The couple walked up to the counter with bewildered faces and a piece of paper. Their nephew in Canada knew they liked Munchers so he bought them a $35 gift card so they could get some donuts.
The Pool Player: After getting her donuts she was walking over to the bar next door to play a game of pool. “I’m the bad player of the team,” she said. “I’m the one that keeps the points down, but at least it’s entertaining.”
The Runner: He walked in wearing shorts in the 20 degree weather. I asked him what he was doing that day and he told me he was going on a run. In his shorts. “I run almost everyday,” he said. “At least, five miles five days a week and sprints on one day.”
The Chiefs Fan: There were many Chiefs fans who came in because of the playoff game happening that Sunday, but my favorite was the older woman wearing a shirt that said, “Mahomes Magic.”
The Shooter: The little boy walked in and out of the bakery doing the “Shoot” dance.
The Animal Lover: All morning the woman had been tending to her animals: two goats, a llama, chickens, cats, dogs, and much more.
Disclaimer: All quotes and experiences are recalled from memory so they may not be 100 percent accurate. Many of these encounters are brief, representing just a fraction of each person's story.