I do not want to die at burger king.

I don't freak out easily.

However.

Having battled the snow to get near school, needing food rather badly, at bk. On ironwood and 23, if this need serve as evidence in a homocide investigation.

So I eat what passes as a salad. A clearly deranged woman comes up behind me.

"excuse me, do you work in science?"

Stranger openers out there, right, so I just say no. Thank you, Nancy Reagan, for the lesson.

"I ask because I saw you were wearing a hat and you took it off. Are you sure you aren't in science?"

"no. "

"you aren't part of the university of Arizona bioengineering department?"

Getting weird there. But I continue my monotone mantra. "no"

"because my brother wears a hat like that"

I keep eating my salad. A brown fedora is hardly uncommon.

"my brother sold me to science. Are you sure you aren't here to stalk me for that purpose?"

Keep eating salad. "no. "

"and I see you have a knife and fork to disect my brain. Is that your purpose"

"no".

"ok. I wanted to make sure".

So. Almost done with the salad. She has been quietly and subtly building a defensive position in the corner by slowy rearranging furniture. And clutching her own plastic knife, shrink wrapped undoubtedly so the disection might be uncontaminated.