Dateline Temecula – On closing day of a lightning vacation, One of Us yearned to visit an antiques store in the historic Old Town section of Temecula, which resembles live Old West streets from the 1880s.
The surprise was on Both of Us when we strode across the street to Cheryl’s Antiques.
Expecting to silently browse for five or 10 minutes, we were briefly off-guard when co-owner Paul Babb called out a vigorous, unignorable greeting.
“Welcome, folks,” he cheerily called out. “In honor of Presidents Day, everything is 25 percent off…”
Sounds enticing.
“…for Republicans, 5 percent off for Democrats.”
From deep inside, not to mention years of experience, Mr. Babb struck tourist gold – as usual.
“Home at last,” the Other of Us thought, diplomatically, to himself.
Indescribable perplexity streaked across the lovely face of One of Us.
Disarmed, One of Us glanced at the two senior gentlemen behind the antique store counter for clues. Her perma-present sense of humor served her lavishly, and Both of Us laughed heartily with them.
One of Us is the primary thinker and talker. However, for this plainly specialized moment, the Other of Us speedily endorsed the impressive, faultless political reasoning of men who obviously are steeped in enviable wisdom.
Voting for Person, Not Party
One of Us is a lifelong Democrat. Her voting life, though, has created moments of breathtaking enlightenment when she has stepped across the border into brightly illumined, infectiously happy Republican territory.
Stacks of kudos were thunderingly earned by the keenly perceptive Mr. Babb – husband of Brazilian-born Cheryl for the last 45 years – and his close pal and daily visitor, Mick Streeter, a native Englishman.
It was an unknottable tie as to which gentleman packed more holiday wit.
The rich, flowing twin-sided political banter and repartee that followed established a hefty rhythm, an ambitiously upbeat tone for shopping, dining and winery visiting during our final vacation hours.
Neither Mr. Babb nor Mr. Streeter used his shiningly honed partisan greeting on any of the browsing customers who followed us into the inner sanctum of Cheryl’s Antiques, 28535 Old Town Front St., Temecula 92590 (paul.babb1@yahoo.com).
Now we know one reason Cheryl’s Antiques owns a decades-long record of success in Old Town.
It is the keen-eyed owners’ ability to instantly identify which customers/strangers appreciate plunging into participatory entertainment – and which ones would grouse and pretend their ears had fallen off.
(To be continued)
