"You Know, I Usually Charge Large Fees For The Use Of This Face!"

 

Larry preferred his badass look...

Good Thursday Morning, all bodies.

Over the past year or so, there's a rather elderly and verbose man who, sits by himself with his iPhone and a cup of coffee. At times, when there doesn't seem to be many folks his age to converse with, he comes to sit across the coffee table from me at GiddyUp.

His name is Larry. He's 77 years old and when he softly speaks one can notice that he has a slight lisp. I believe he may be missing his upper teeth but that surely doesn't impede his gregariousness.

Larry has spent quite some time in the Dakotas which is where he started collecting cowboy hats, but he was actually born in Madisonville in what is now the police station. The building which was many things over time from a bank, and a barroom to a hotel to a hospital, of sorts, was built in 1906.

"I don't know why I was born there. I suppose my mother didn't have enough time to get to a regular hospital," he smiled and said.

I had surreptitiously attempted to sketch him from time to time, but just the other day I caught him adjusting cargo in the bed of his truck. So, I asked him if I could take a picture to sketch him by. I didn't mention my many attempts.

"Sure... what'chu want it for?"

"No particular reason, man. I like your hats," I said.

That set off a fifteen minute discussion about his younger days in the Dakotas. And then...

"You know my momma had a restaurant right there across from the..." He referenced a place that I was not familiar with, but played along.

... "She wanted me to take over the business, but the thought of getting up at 4:30 every morning to make biscuits was something I did not want to do!"

"Of course, he continued, I took a job with this oil company and had to get up at 3:30 every morning to get to work. I did that for thirty-five years!"

"Go figure!"

After taking two pics to draw from and heading for the car, he asks, "Am I gonna get to see this portrait?"

He seemed to prefer the "badass" pose I shot of him, and if he wants to keep it when I finish the drawing, I will give it to him. But actually, the one sketch I did of him a while back, though not a great likeness of him, does better capture his personality.

"You know, I usually charge large fees for the use of this face," he chuckled.

First cup!

Copyright 2021/ Ben Bensen III