THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407020136
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Wednesday, June 15
5:45 p.m. - Nansemond Parkway and Portsmouth Boulevard, Suffolk.
Two tiny birds perched on top of a traffic signal seem to be waiting for the red light to change.
The light seems to be stuck on ``red,'' for a long time, but the birds sit patiently in the same spot, peering down at the waiting motorists.
The light finally turns green and, as if on cue, the birds fly off in the direction of the cars that hurry away.
- Shirley Brinkley
Tuesday, June 21
6:15 p.m. - Gates County Recreation Center
The windup, the make-believe pitch, the crack of the bat and the ball on the tee is hit. The teeny runner heads to first base. Another uniformed T-ball player runs over, picks up the ball, runs to home. Yay! Whoops! No yay! The little guy was not in the field at the time. He was a base runner. Back to the drawing board.
- Frank Roberts
Wednesday, June 22
5:10 p.m. - Wal-Mart, North Main Street, Suffolk
How do you spell relief? Wal-Mart employees and customers might guess ``R-A-V-E-N,'' for the small child lost in the store for 15 minutes.
The announcements had started with the usual, ``There is a small child lost in the store wearing a red, white, and blue outfit and named Raven.'' After a few more frightening minutes, the alert escalated to a ``Code Adam,'' meaning everyone should drop whatever they are doing to look for the wandering toddler.
Customers and clerks began asking each other, ``Has she been found?'' and searching through racks of clothes and housewares, calling ``Raven.'' When Raven was finally discovered, she was safe and only a little scared. Her smile was almost as big as that on the faces of the dozens of former strangers who had suddenly come together as an ad hoc search team.
- Phyllis Speidell
Thursday, June 23
12:30 p.m. - Market Street.
The man in front of the car has the hood up, one hand on the radiator cap and an agitated look on his face.
``You sure it's OK to take that cap off?'' asks the man on the side of the car.
``Shut up,'' responds the man in front. He gives the radiator cap a twist.
A boiling geyser of brown water fires the cap into the hood, soaking the engine and wrapping the two men in dirty steam.
``I thought you said it was OK to take that off,'' the man next to the car says.
``Shut up,'' repeats the man in front.
- Robert Little
Saturday, June 25
8:40 p.m. - Lowe's, Godwin Boulevard, Suffolk.
The man walks toward a couple leaving the store and implores, ``Will you give me a jump?''
He's had a difficult evening, he tells the couple as they move their car next to his.
First, he pulled the knob off his back door as he went outside to pick some vegetables from his garden, the man says.
Then after buying a replacement knob, he came out into the parking lot and discovered his car battery was dead.
``When it rains, it pours,'' he says.
The men connect the jumper cables to the two batteries and the stranded car starts easily. The engine purrs as the couple leaves, wishing the man a sunny day tomorrow.
- Susie Stoughton
Saturday, June 25
9:20 p.m. - Wal-Mart, North Main Street, Suffolk.
``I can't handle this,'' says the sales clerk in the fabric and notions department. ``I'm calling the manager.''
As she heads to the telephone, she warns shoppers to watch their step.
``Someone has come through and sabotaged this place,'' she says, pointing to a plastic container of bright blue glitter spilled on the floor at the end of one of the aisles.
Other rows have similar messes, says the disgruntled clerk.
``They dump their kids at Wal-Mart and think we're going to baby-sit,'' she says.
- Susie Stoughton
Monday, June 27
2 p.m. - Suffolk Plaza Shopping Center.
A sign in the window of a beauty supply shop advertises, ``We have human hair.'' Good news for those shopping for a wig or hair piece.
A sign posted beneath the first one, however, says the shop also has ``manes and tails.'' Good news for horses with thinning hair?
- Shirley Brinkley ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
First things first
At least the owner of this car is honest about what comes first with
him. Or maybe he just likes to tease his wife.
by CNB