Accosting Strangers in Public at Publix

A few days ago I ran into Publix, a popular grocery chain, to pick up a few items.  As I went in the door, there was a man walking out who was having a conversation with a lady just going in.  They were obviously acquaintances and I overheard him ask her if she had any work she needed done at her house.  “No, but my sister does, so she’s going to be giving you a call.”

I felt my handyman radar going off.  The man walked on outside and I approached the lady.

“Excuse me, but I overheard you talking to that gentleman and wondered if he does handyman work?”

She said that he did, but when I asked for his name she looked sheepish.  “It’s Kevin…but I don’t know his last name.  He’s my neighbor – well, he can give you a business card.”  And off she went out the door.  I could hear her yelling “KEVIN!” across the parking lot.

I was embarrassed because I really had not wanted her to go to any trouble, so I walked outside to tell her not to worry about it…by this time she was sprinting across the parking lot.  “KEVIN!  KEV-IN!!”

I definitely do not sprint, but I walked quickly and caught up with them just as the lady was explaining to Kevin what was going on.  When she saw me, she said, “Oh, good!  I’ll just let the two of you talk.”

I found out that Kevin does all kinds of great things that we may need some help with once we start renovating the house…framing, drywall, trimwork, patching, removing popcorn ceilings.  He also has a network of subs in other areas, like licensed electricians and plumbers, which we may need in the near future.

I took his business card and stashed it in my renovation notebook.  Kevin, you’ll probably be hearing from us!  Here’s to accosting strangers in public at Publix 😮