Day 105: Looking Like a Bum

The Fool got up and went to the McD's for a cheap and rubbery breakfast. A man sitting alone in the corner kept blatantly giggling at the Fool... making our walking friend quite uncomfortable. The man later approached the WF and explained himself. "I was laughing because at first I thought you were homeless," he said, referring to the WF's long and scraggly beard, "then when you took out your cell phone, I realized you were just being eccentric."

The Fool quickly put on an exaggerated confused face. "As opposed to being concentric?" he replied, using his wittiest intonation. The man kept a serious look and shook his head.

The stocky, short haired, black-mockneck-sweater-wearing man continued on about how he, being a good Christian, tries to offer help to those in need. And apparently, he openly laughs at those who aren't truly in need but who simply look like someone in need.

As the man continued to talk (and not go away) he became more and more patronizing and offensive. He basically felt that the Fool's attempt to walk across the country was "boring," "been done before" and "has no hook." The guy thought that perhaps if the Fool did a handstand across the USA, that might make him more interested. And the fact that the Fool actually went into hotels on occasion and didn't live off the land really "diluted" the whole walk thing. Realizing this man was clearly "diluted" himself and wasn't about to go away, the Fool decided to end things by shouting at him to go fuck off -- but phrased it, "OK, I gotta get going now."

The Fool went along the Raccoon Valley River Trail for a few miles and had a late lunch at another McDonald's, still feeling low from all the negative things that that kind, Christian man had to say about his walk. Even though he knew the man was a self-centered lunatic, getting bashed like that still lowered his spirits (ironically, the man kept asserting that he was spending time talking to the Fool to raise his spirits and actually inspire him... no kidding). Things got to the most abject lowest when a little girl sheepishly walked up to the fool and offered him her last cheeseburger.

He stomped out of the McDonald's in search of a razor.