Arribatta!

Something like a month ago this kid that always sits in the corner of the coffee shop that I frequent limped up to me while I was studying pulled my headphone out of my ear.

“Arribatta!”, he said.

“Excuse me?”

“Arribatta!  Arribatta!  Glasses… movies… Arribatta!”

It’s weird because all the times I had seen this kid sitting there with his serious looking headphones playing on his laptop, I always assumed he was some kind of deejay or something.  He always looked like he was just sitting there mastering tracks and I thought that he was just a very determined musician.  And here he was talking to me and I realized that my impression was completely wrong.  I don’t know what he has but it was apparent that there was something not right with him.

“I don’t know what Arribatta is… I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“Come, I show you.”

I reluctantly rose and followed him to his chair where his laptop was plugged in.  I watched as he minimized the video game he was playing brought up youtube and typed the words Harry Potter into the search bar.  Looking back on it now I should have understood what he was talking about when he said glasses and movies but at the time it really didn’t sink in.  I think part of the reason is that I have never once in my life ever thought that anyone would ever confuse me for this magical boy from… Hogwartz, is it?  I look nothing like him… at least I don’t think I do… do I?

I exclaimed my recognition to the guy and then snuck away as he continued to say “Arribatta!  Haha, Arribatta!  Let me take a picture!”

I continued to study and eventually made my way back upstairs.  The boy was already gone when I packed up my things to leave.  I thought that would be the end of it.  He made his joke and had a laugh and now I know I look like Harry Potter to certain types that inhabit coffee shops to play video games for hours on end but it wasn’t.

Since then, anytime I go into this coffee shop and he is sitting in the corner (which is very frequently) I hear:

“Arribatta!  Picture, picture!  Can I have a ticket?”

Can he have a ticket?  Does he think I really am Harry Potter or is he just trying to make a friend?  I wish that’s all it was.  I’m pretty sure he really thinks I am Harry potter and that I fly around on brooms and have magical friends and an owl.  He believes there is some kind of evil I’m fighting, both within and out in the world and he wants a piece of the action.  He wants to go to this magical school.  Why won’t Harry Potter just give him a damn ticket so he can learn magic too?