The Reverend
We have a local guy we call "The Reverend." He drives a little PT Cruiser around town covered with Mississippi State University Bulldogs stickers and those little American flags on the little plastic poles (We're in Mississippi, this would be even more unusual in London...)

Anyway, he goes to Wal-Mart, the post office, McDonald's EVERYWHERE listening to preacher tapes on his Walkman. That's not so strange, except that he'll randomly blurt out "Amen!" to any and all within sight. In "normal" conversation, each sentence contains at least two "amens." His southern accent and the way he says it, it sounds like "hey, man," so it is hard not to reflexively "hey" back to him when he sees you in the store, locking you into offering up praise and glory to Him who blesses us all.

I was in Hardee's (a McDonald's-like fast food place, for those not in the know) and the Reverend was there too, at another table, waiting for his food.

"Are you doing all right, amen?" the young lady asked when she brought him his food.

"Amen! God is good! Amen!" The Reverend answered with a nod.

"Amen," the young lady said. "You enjoy your meal, amen."

"Amen! Thank you, amen!"

The same young lady brought me my food a few minutes later.

"There you go, sir, enjoy," she said.

"Amen!" I nodded in return.

The poor young lady nearly jumped out of her skin, as if I were the continuation a strange dream.
( setimret likes his metaphors mixed, not stirred, Fri 31 Oct 2008, 14:14, Reply)