When you first spot it, it's a shock. A machine gun store on Cottage Grove? In our historic downtown? Who needs a machine gun? Even if you can rent it by the hour.
But then, after awhile, the store fades into the background and becomes part of your routine view of downtown, the one that only notices something if it changes.
Well today, West Coast Machine Guns did change. For me at least.
Someone came out of the store.
Prior to today I had never seen anyone go in or come out of that store. I noticed the open sign of course, but the windows are so heavily barred it's nearly impossible to see inside without stopping and taking a good long look with your nose pressed up against the bars. I guess I fooled myself into thinking no one ever went in or came out so I didn't have to worry about anyone ever actually getting a machine gun there.
But today I did see someone come out the door. I immediately looked him up and down, wondering if he had a machine gun or some other scary weapon, would I be able to see it somehow poking out somewhere? I didn't notice anything.
A little while later, and purely by coincidence, I ended up in line behind him while we each bought a sandwich. I wanted to ask him what he had been doing in there. Had he just bought a machine gun? AK47? Some other frightening weapon not used in hunting?
But I didn't. Afterward, I noticed he returned to the store with his sandwich. I guess he works there and was just grabbing a bite to eat for lunch.
Why did it surprise me to catch a machine gun shop worker engaged in such a prosaic activity as buying a sandwich? I guess machine guns and sandwiches don't go together in my mind.
And neither do machine guns and Cottage Grove.
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