I am leaning on a grocery buggy in the lobby of the store of our frozen town in West Michigan. I am waiting for my husband to drive up so we can load our groceries into the car. I am not lazy, just practical. You can not push a loaded grocery buggy through frozen snow ruts in parking lots in late February. The floor mats in the lobby smell of several days worth of wet boot wiping. Spring is still several months away. And I have my resting bitch face on, although it’s the early eighties and it will be some time before that phrase is officially coined.
My non-reverie is broken by a young black man asking me a question.
“Does a sister need some cheering up?”
I looked back blankly for a second before replying, “Oh I’m ok, just waiting for my ride.”
“I seen you been in here for a while, lots-a scraping to do, bout four mo inches come down. I got somethin to put a smile on that pretty face.”
“Uh..” was all I got out before he busted into the Kung-Fu Fighting song.
*Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting
Those kids were fast as lightning
In fact, it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing
There were funky China men from funky Chinatown
They were chopping them up
They were chopping them down
It’s an ancient Chinese art
And everybody knew their part…
My unlikely troubadour sang all the verses, danced, kicked and did other “funky” stuff. A crowd gathered. When he was done he politely kissed my hand, bowed and boogied out the door to the applause of the now full lobby.
Shortly, I spotted my husband driving up.
This is my go to song for February. I don’t hate February at all anymore. And yes, I have go to songs for all the months…
*Lyrics by Carl Douglas
Beeray
Sep 22, 2016 @ 13:42:50
When I was younger, I would always, do some kunfu stunts each time that song played on air
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oldendaysk
Sep 22, 2016 @ 20:04:46
It is a fun song!
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Danielle Dayney
Sep 22, 2016 @ 18:10:09
Love that song! And I lived in Michigan for a long time. I love it there, even if the winters are awful ๐
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oldendaysk
Sep 22, 2016 @ 20:06:29
Oh wow! A fellow Michigander. We lived there for twenty years, but we are not from there. Never got used to all that snow. But it was beautiful. We lived in Muskegon about a mile from the Lake Michigan.
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Danielle Dayney
Sep 22, 2016 @ 22:15:01
I lived in Detroit. It was fun ๐ I remember going to Muskegon as a kid, but I don’t recall what for. I’m from Toledo.
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d3athlily
Sep 22, 2016 @ 20:47:35
Hehehe I just love this piece! That man sounds awesome!
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oldendaysk
Sep 22, 2016 @ 21:15:53
He was awesome and regular at the same time.
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Meg
Sep 23, 2016 @ 01:15:51
I love this story. It’s those little moments that stay with you. Wonderfully written–great pace and description. (Hey, I can write comments! Still can’t leave “likes.”)
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Nate
Sep 24, 2016 @ 16:16:10
I’m also a Michigander. Raised near Flint, went to school in Kalamazoo so I know about Michigan Februaries and trying to shove a grocery cart through snow drifts!
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oldendaysk
Sep 24, 2016 @ 17:48:48
Ha, I knew I liked you! My son-law is from the Kalamazoo area. We lived in Muskegon for just over twenty years.
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Yeah write #285 weekly writing challenge kickoff
Sep 25, 2016 @ 04:03:30