Who are you trying to be?

I walked into a rather preppy Starbucks in an upscale town just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. I guess calling a Starbucks preppy is rather redundant, isn't it?  In any case, I was standing there waiting for my coffee when the man, sitting on the stool also waiting, looked at me.

"Who are you trying to be?" he asked.  Actually he said it in such a nice and jovial manner that I couldn't take offense.  I looked at my reflection in the window. I was wearing cargo pants and a flannel shirt. Well, then there's my Tilley Montana hat. Oh, yeah, my pony tail, earring and bear choker.  But other than that I wondered why he asked.  Then I looked at him. He was wearing a $200 jogging suit which, if I could be allowed to make assumptions from basic appearance, had probably never seen anything more than a fast walk. Well, maybe not even that. I looked back at my own reflection.

"Russell Vance, " I said very matter-of-factly.

"Who the hell is he?" the man almost shook as he laughed.

"Me," I said.

"Oh." The man turned to the counter picked up his coffee. "See yuh."

"Have a great day." I replied with a smiled. He lifted his cup in salute and walked away.