Suits, Shorts, Jeans, and Brothers

I'm not really a creative person. Creativity is often outside my comfort zone and so I avoid it. But sometimes, on special occasions, like when I'm driving through Zona Rosa, I'll see something that sparks a creative thought. Not creative in a phenomenal way, just creative in a 'outside your normal thoughts as you see someone walking down the street' sort of way.

Today, as I was driving through Zona Rosa, I saw three guys walking. Normally, that's the amount of thought I would give to this situation. I would count the men, because well, I like accounting for things. Then I would think about the number 3 and how it is a prime number and not divisible by 2. Then I would think about how I have two very close friends, which makes us a group of 3, just like these men. That line of thinking would lead me to think about Jessiejane and Sammie and how even though there are 3 of us, we all get along together and we all get along separately with each counterpart of our group. Then I would wonder how these men got along with each other and if they were close or just business acquaintances and if they enjoy being around each other together and separately and if . . . well, I could go on for a while, because I'm a girl.

However, today when I saw that group of three men, I did NOT think about prime numbers or my friends from college. Because there was something interesting about these men. They were all dressed differently. Yes, I'm making assumptions about people based on dress, ok? Man #1 was wearing a sharp-looking gray business suit. Man #2 was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Man #3 was wearing jeans and an untucked polo. Now you're wondering where I'm going with this, because we all know that everyone dresses differently. Well, the thing is, they were all walking together to the same restaurant. Normally, I would say that they all worked together and were just grabbing a bite to eat on their mutual lunch break. But how could they work together? Usually company dress policies aren't radical enough to include both a business suit and cargo shorts. And this is where my 'creative' brain pattern began to form.

I began to imagine them as brothers. Three brothers who grew up in the same house, but all found their fulfillment in separate careers. Brother #1 is moving up the corporate ladder after graduating with an accounting degree, of course (because it is the best degree out there). He normally eats with business associates or potential contacts, but Mondays are reserved. He was almost late to lunch because of a long meeting with a new client, but he wasn't too worried because he expects his younger and less responsible brothers to be late anyway. Brother #2 is a computer guy. He builds apps for iPads, working for himself, because as second-born, he doesn't like having someone bossing him around. It's his day off . . . day because he usually works best at night. Hence the shorts and t-shirts to meet up with his brothers. He does it on purpose, knowing the Brother #1 will be stuck in a suit. Brother #3 is a professor at the community college in town. He prefers to teach morning classes, which means his afternoons are free. His casual jeans and polo are actually what he wears to class, because why dress up when most kids show up in their pajamas? He loves teaching and most students love him as well because of his laid-back manner and clear teaching style.

Lunch is a usual affair. There's laughter. There's also the occasional dig between Brother #1 and Brother #2 with Brother #3 stepping into the melee if anything gets too personal. Today they're planning a combined family vacation for the summer, but they can't agree where to go. They'll argue, with Brother #1 eventually making the final decision. And eventually they'll walk out again, talking and walking, catching the eye of a random driver who will wonder about the three men in very different clothes.

I drove on past, not knowing if my ideas had any truth in them at all. I hope they had a good lunch though . . . and I hope they enjoy their vacation this summer.

m(r)