An Open Letter to the Former Theme Park Worker on Amtrak I Met When I Was in Fourth Grade

Dear Former Theme Park Worker on Amtrak I Met When I Was in Fourth Grade,

In snowy December, my family was traveling across the Rocky Mountains back from California. You were in our food car on New Years. I don't remember if you worked for Amtrak or if you were a fellow passenger. Regardless, you ended up chatting to me about how you worked at Six Flags for a few summers. To me, you seemed like a celebrity, and I was confused about how you ended up on the train.

I asked if I would ever have a chance to be a character at Six Flags, and you said, "Yeah! You totally could!" which gave me great confidence. You told me the characters you had been--Tweety, Pepe, etc. My mom asked about the weather, "Well, gee, aren't you hot in those big suits?"

You considered. You nodded pensively and said, "You know, it's really hard when it's a cool day because then you are kind of trying to move slowly and not break a sweat, but if it's just a horrible one-hundred degree day, you know you're gonna be drenched no matter what you do, so you might as well get it over with and have fun."

Anyway, thanks.

Love,
Alice