The Pecan Park Eagle

“WHO WAS THE MYSTERY DAD PUSHING THE BABY STROLLER AT SAX FIFTH AVENUE IN THE HOUSTON GALLERIA YESTERDAY?

When was the last time you were out somewhere in public and suddenly recognized a face in the crowd you absolutely knew, but just as rapidly failed to grasp, not merely their name, but the context in which you knew them as well.

Was this a personal acquaintance or a public face I’m now fixing my attention upon? Am I simply imagining that I “know” this person? Maybe they simply remind me of someone I do know personally, or as a public figure, a movie or television actor, or even an athlete? Who knows? – Not me this time. Haven’t a clue. This is frustrating. I need to let it go, but I can’t. Too much curiosity is now hard at play.

Before you start guessing something along the lines of “I’ve seen McCurdy in action for myself. He was probably at a family reunion – or, perhaps, a luncheon gathering with some of his SABR friends. ” At least, give me a few moments to explain my experience with this mind-maddening phenomenon from yesterday. I think it falls somewhere short of Alzheimer’s, but you never know.

Today is my dear wife’s birthday and, yesterday, I had taken her to lunch and then to the Galleria in Houston to exchange an apparel gift from our niece in Palm Beach, Florida who had sent the item she purchased there at their local Sax Fifth Avenue. My wife simply needed to exchange it for the correct size and we were told that the local Sax store could handle it for us here in Houston, which proved true.

While I stood with Norma at the exchange counter as she worked it out, a “thirty something” Hispanic couple drifted by us. The woman was leading the way on a browsing expedition. The man followed quietly behind, pushing a  baby stroller, moving quietly, and patiently stopping each time his apparent wife to pick up and thoroughly examine an item of clothing. That sight registered with me even before the burning desire to know the identity of this man with her even arose. I had not even looked at him that carefully at first. His “blur” recognition was nothing special. He was a man about my 5’10” height. He had a stocky build and I recall having the impression I frequently reach with strangers: “This man doesn’t work out anymore than I do, apparently,” I thought to myself.

I turned to Norma and asked, “Do you remember years ago when we were dating – and I would go mall shopping with you and pretend to like it – just so we could have the time together?”

“How could I forget?” Norma smiled, as she quickly added, “but don’t worry, Honey, you don’t have to do that anymore. You don’t have to go shopping with me to prove you care – and this trip to the Galleria for the gift exchange will not trap you back into doing something you hate.”

How neat is Norma, guys? – To me, she’s the greatest! And I need to get this story told so we can be on our in celebration of her birthday today by going out to do the things we enjoy together.

Back to the stranger focus. – When I looked  back at the man pushing the baby stroller, we briefly made eye contact, but there was no sense of recognition in his eyes that matched the “I know this guy” bells that were now suddenly bombing my brain like the bells of Notre Dame in Paris.

“Who the hell is he? – Is he a personal acquaintance? – Someone I’ve seen in the Chronicle? – A character actor from the movies or TV?” – No clues jumped out at me. And the quiet, strolling family soon moved out of the room and out of sight. I walked over to the exit archway they took, just to see how far they had moved away – and in the hope that something would jar my memory, but there was nothing there, and they had now moved over a couple of rooms down the long wide corridor, – “I may never know who that guy was” finally landed as my moment of reluctant acceptance, but what else could I do?

Plenty. – I started running movies and TV shows in my head. “Maybe, he appeared as a Cuban undercover cop or drug dealer on the old CSI Miami TV series,” I considered. “Maybe,” I thought, but there was no smack  of certainty or “AHA!” to my ruminations.

It wasn’t character actor Luis Guzman, but that private guess also came with a sense that this baby stroller guy was famous for something and not just a forgotten personal acquaintance.

“Was that character actor Luis Guzman?” I briefly thought. Probably not. Guzman has been playing thugs and drug dealers all the way back to “Miami Vice” in the late 1980’s. No way he’s still as young as the dutiful and patient baby-strolling dad here at Saks appears to be. – But the question still begs for the answer it cannot find in my memory bank: “WHO-IS-THIS-GUY-???”

Finally, a breakthrough opportunity came my way. The apparent wife of our mystery figure had drifted back into the room where Norma was still going through the red tape of her gift exchange. She was alone, having left her mystery (not to her) husband and the baby back there in the Christian Dior section, I suppose. I just had to speak up and ask the lady about her man.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I saw you and your husband pass through here just a few moments ago.  If you don’t mind, can you tell me, does he play for the Houston Astros?

The lady smiled as though she seemed pleased I had asked.

“Well, he used to play for the Astros, but no more,” she told me. “His name is Wandy – Wandy Rodriguez.”

“Wandy Rodriguez?” I repeated with some excitement. “Well, please give him this old fan’s best wishes, and  good luck to both of you and your family in Pittsburgh!”

I didn’t recognize Wandy in street clothes, but maybe you can see a little of why I thought he may have been actor Luis Guzman before I did the age calculation on that improbability – and Mrs. Rodriguez came back and spared me from carrying this mystery to my bed pillow last night.

Gotta go now. It’s time to spend these waking hours celebrating her birthday with my wonderful and brave little sweetheart.

Have a nice weekend, everybody!