At first I wasn't sure if she was talking to me.
I'm standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. The woman on the other side of the conveyor-belt just finished up with the customer in front of me, a woman in her 50s, maybe, with brown hair and a soft smile. I'm not sure what they were chatting about but the general vibe I'm picking up is one of "uh-huh, you know how it is" and a playfully sarcastic follow-up along the lines of "oh, sureee, it's always something..." The exchange included subdued chortles as they parted ways. I'm not sure if they were friends before this, but they seem to be now.
Now, the cashier's scanning my items and I'm not sure if she's talking to me.
"er—sorry?"
Glancing at me through her blue glasses, her cheeks pull into a grin. After finding a jar of peanut butter among my small collection of items, she goes on to tell me how Teddie Peanut Butter, a brand that's been around since 1925, is still family owned to this day.
"I'm from Massachusetts," she says. "So I think it's cool that they haven't sold to one of those mega-corps." After a second she explains that they're based out of Everett, Massachusetts. I wonder if I'll ever hear the name of that town and not think of playing football there in middle school with a broken wrist. Or of losing to them at Gillette Stadium in the state championship my junior year.
I give a slight shake of the head and my eyes refocus after my fuzzy, daydream-drift.
"Wow! I had no idea," I say.
She beams.
"Now you have a fun-fact to pull out at parties," she says.
I smile.
She thinks I go to parties (lol). But I do love a fun fact—she's right about that one.
* * *
What's your favorite fun fact and where'd you get it?
onward.
For more on this daily column, read the backstory here. And if you know someone who'd appreciate this, pass it along.