Penguins in Mullingar

It was a blustery day in Mullingar and I stepped back inside the hotel to retrieve my trusted Penguins walking hat. It was the kind of day where the wind was blowing and there was just enough rain to be a nuisance, but not really to create any puddles. Walking near the center of town on Austin Friars Street, the primary east-west axis, I was not paying attention to anyone, just lost in my own thoughts. Because I know no one in town, I try to blend into the background and observe. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young man, perhaps in his twenties, walking hand-in-hand with a young woman. As he passed, I heard him say, “ooh…cool hat.” His comment did not immediately register, because I do not expect anyone to talk to me. But after a few seconds, I realized he was talking about my Penguins hat because no one else around was wearing a hat.