Trash Talk With Huggy Bear

My mother heard a soft tapping at the door yesterday morning and opened it to find her garbageman. He wanted to thank her for the Christmas tip.

I thought that was slightly unusual, but then she casually mentioned that "he likes to hug me," at which point I almost fell out of my chair.

When my head stopped spinning, I asked the only logical question: "Is he simple?"

She assured me that was he was not. Just remarkably affectionate, evidently. Usually she's in the car and can drive by with a wave. But when she's out gardening or whatever, she's vulnerable and has to keep an eye out in case he approaches.

We have a whole crew of garbagemen over here. I see them five days a week, and if we cross paths we exchange a wave or a brief greeting. I can't recall a single instance of physical contact, even a handshake. This always seemed normal to me, but maybe I'm missing out on something.