In The Pink

I can't quite figure this out.

Cuppa and I decided to spend a quiet hour in the park this afternoon. After making the requisite all-Canadian coffee stop, we sauntered over to a shady bench on the banks of the Mississippi River, the unmighty one. We rested at approximately the same bench where I photographed Cuppa seven posts ago. Although the day was hot, it was quite pleasant under the grand, old willow by the water's edge; the cooling breeze also served to ameliorate the heat.

A man greeted us as he walked by. Moments later, I noticed him, at least I thought it was him, on the bench about twenty feet to our right. He had his shirt off, or did he? It was hard to tell; perhaps he was wearing a pink muscle shirt. I didn't think so, but I kept glancing his way in hopes of figuring it out.

Before leaving, I accidentally-on-purpose meandered by his bench in order to get a better view. Sure enough, he was pink from the sun. Being a kindly and good-hearted chap, I drew this to his attention. In a concerned voice: "Hello there, you may not realize it, but you're very pink."

I am still processing his response: "It's okay, I'm used to the sun. I'm from Las Vegas." I say that I am still processing it because to my mind, pink is pink, sunburnt is sunburnt — wherever you hail from (or for purists — from wherever you hail).

However, I wasn't about to question the man's sanity, so we chatted amiably for a moment. I told that I had been somewhat proximate to Las Vegas when we visited Arizona not so very long ago. We talked about the weather down thataway and a little about our trip: where we went and what we saw. I inquired how it was that he was lazing by the banks of the Mississippi River so far from home. It turns out that he owns a cottage nearby. He likes it here; he finds it very peaceful and safe. Good old, relatively crime-free Canada, eh? Tell that to the average Joseph or Josephine in Toronto.

We wished each other well. I collected Cuppa, but as we ambled back to the car, I remained puzzled about why that sunburn didn't matter. I guess I'm just a dumb Canadian, but is a sunburn not a sunburn?