From booster shot to food truck: my encounter with a bubbly fellow line-goer.
“Kid, meeting people like you gives me hope for humanity,” said Lisa, a 53-year-old East Hartford native, as we marched out of Walgreens, brushing arms with smiles plastered across our faces.
I had just met Lisa while in line for a COVID booster shot in Walgreens on a cold Thursday morning in January. Contrary to my normal habits, I had arrived 15 minutes early to my appointment, as the email instructions indicated, only to find that the pharmacy wasn’t even open yet. I sat in one of the two worn-out seats and stared at the metal pharmacy window coverings to open. An old man joined me in the other seat, while others began trickling in, forming a line.
At three minutes past ten in the morning, the pharmacy counter shades raised while three female employees grunted about how cold they were, shuffling about their daily preparations. I motioned to let the old man, who reminded me a bit of grey-haired version of Quasimodo in the Hunch Back of Notre Dame, to allow him to go ahead of me. As I waited behind him, I wondered why HIPPA was even a thing if both the pharmacist and this old man were shouting every detail of his medical records for the entirety of the store to hear.
“I WILL SET YOU UP ON AUTOFILL SO THE LAXATIVE PRESCRIPTION WILL BE READY WHEN YOU COME IN,” the pharmacist shouted
“I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS!” shouted back the old man.
I looked around uncomfortably, when a small stocky woman with short black hair, cargo-like tan pants, and a black hoodie made a friendly comment behind me in line.
“Nothing like Walgreens,” she joked. I turned to her and smiled, I forgot how friendly Americans are¸ I thought as I was called next to the counter.
I immediately held out my European Union COVID passport for the technician, which then began a lengthy discussion as she had never seen a foreign vaccination card. After calling over the head pharmacist, I then explained to both of them that in Europe the month and the day are reversed and that my original vaccine was May 11th not November 5th. After my international date lesson was understood, we moved onto the next item of confusion when the technician asked if I was from “Denver City.”
“You mean Denver, Colorado?” I asked. “Yes, I used to live there.”
“Geez, France and Colorado? Are you from Colorado?” questioned my new friend behind me in line who couldn’t help but interject after hearing the technician loudly grapple at all my “complicated” locations.
“I used to live there for a few years. I grew up here though. But I was living in France getting my business degree that’s why my vaccines are from there.”
“Wow kid, you’ve had quite a run there,” she said
“You have no idea,” I laughed.
After the pharmacist technician processed my new friend in line, we both chatted off to the side, waiting to be called for the shot. The wait turned from minutes into an hour, and our initial pleasantries expanded into full stories of who we were and where our lives had taken us to pass the time.
Our Stories
My story began as I described having just worked in Sweden but spent the last 5 years living predominantly in Belgium, along with France and Singapore. Lisa’s eyes widened as I described my recent business trip to Iceland on the darkest day of the year, and how my love of skiing had taken me on even greater adventures around the world.
Lisa’s story began as the youngest of 6, with 5 older brothers, one of which ran a catering and food truck business with her. She bubbled with passion as she talked about the food truck being in the family since 1971, and how during the pandemic she didn’t work for 7 months, but luckily, they are still working at Windsor’s softball games. You could tell that Lisa was not shy for talking, yet she was so genuinely interested in being the listener to what I had to say too.
Our stories couldn’t be more different, yet we were the same; we grew up just a town apart, myself from Glastonbury and her in East Hartford. We both had an incredible love for food, for I had just helped scale a tofu business internationally and she was in the catering business her whole life. We both had our share of bumps along the way, Lisa and her brother Larry having had to stop working during the pandemic, and me having recently overcome a serious electric scooter accident. We both felt a genuine interest in each other’s lives, and we both had recognized how hard each other had worked albeit in different ways. And comically, we both struggled to fill out the vaccine paperwork while standing and wobbling a worn clipboard in the air.
“Today’s the 6th,” I offered to her when she looked up quizzically.
I was finally called to get my shot. Seconds later I emerged and stood outside of the area since I was told to wait 15 minutes in case of a reaction, but secretly I knew that I wanted to wait for Lisa.
“I’m not waiting for anything. I gotta go to work!” stated Lisa as she pulled her sleeve down reappearing from behind the partition.
“Well then I’m coming with you,” I stated, marching in step with her. It felt a bit like a rebellious act, but I had taken a liking to my new friend and wanted to see her out.
“So our truck is called Mozzicato’s it’s on the corner of Lafayette Street right outside of the Supreme Court. Come on bye if you’re ever around. Tuna melts, breakfast sandwiches, you name it,” she said as we walked down the aisles of Walgreens and I quickly made a mental note. I was terrible with remembering names, but I was determined not to forget this. The last hour I spent with Lisa was so…fun. Who knew that a stranger could make such an unpleasant event an entertaining ordeal?
As we parted ways in the parking lot, Lisa walked off to the right with a big smile on her face. “Kid, meeting people like you gives me hope for humanity,” she sighed.
I gleamed as I got into my car and quickly grabbed my phone to not forget the name and location of the food truck. I then pulled out of the parking lot and returned to my day feeling a bit lighter.
Finding Mozzicato's
Weeks later, one brutally cold morning on my way home from a dentist appointment, I decided to try to find Lisa’s food truck. Sure enough, just as she had told me, Mozzicato’s food truck was parked right outside of the court house. I parked and walked up, standing next to a man in construction uniform as a man, who I presumed was her brother Larry, braved the bitter cold putting together egg sandwiches.
“What can I get for you young lady?” I noticed that referring to me in a youthful way seemed to be a family trait. Yet, with more recent findings of grey hair as 31 approached, I was more than happy to be referred to as a young lady.
“Are you Larry?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he shrugged
“Lisa’s brother huh? I met Lisa in Walgreens the other day getting our booster shot, you’ll have to tell her hello for me.”
“Oh yes,” he immediately warmed up and his face popped into
the tiny window. “She told me about you. She’s a real talker isn’t she? Yeah she comes in later, she gets the 9 to 5 shift. She gets to sleep in.” he said.
“Well I’ll have to come back during lunchtime then,” I said as I grabbed my warm sandwich. The whites of the egg flopped out of a fluffy bun as the cheese slightly oozed on the edges. It looked like a little piece of warm heaven in the brutal cold, and I was pleased to see that everything was as Lisa described. I handed over my cash, told Larry to keep the change and walked back to my car.
Sure enough, weeks later, I went back during lunchtime and there was Lisa behind the counter flipping a burger on the grill top, her eyes lighting up as she saw me. We again caught up like we had been friends forever, and her enthusiasm for life was contagious. Although she hinted at the sadness behind how the pandemic has affected her business, she still showed up with her full energy and continues to make the best out of every day. And it helps that her sandwiches are damn tasty too.
Mozzicato's Food truck is based out of South Windsor, CT. You can find it weekdays for breakfast and lunch parked at 101 Lafayette St in Hartford, Connecticut. The menu ranges from tasty breakfast sandwiches, to traditional tuna melts, to daily specials such as eggplant parmesan sandwiches all at an extremely affordable price.
Comments