vulture hats and visibility

so i'm sitting on the couch at my favorite coffee shop today, grading papers when... in struts a rather rotund chap donning a vulture hat (yes, the very same kind as in the photo here - but don't let the attractive lady distract you from the explicit absurdity). all loungers stopped what they were doing and let their eyes follow this somewhat strange fellow as he made his way to order a coffee. i initially thought he was a hired clown about to perform in the courtyard or at a local party, but when i looked at his face as he walked by, i realized this was probably not the case. instead, i perceived in him an emptiness of sorts. though i think he took some satisfaction in the stares he received, there seemed to be a vortexual vacuity behind his eyes. he walked by me, made his way out the door and sat at the rot iron table by the window. i was sitting next to the glass, so i occasionally observed him during the next hour. i noticed that he made sure to meet the eyes of everyone who glanced his way. i couldn't tell if he was looking for a fight or recognition or both, but he certainly intended to provoke a response. he sat outside for quite a while chain smoking and occasionally falling asleep. i wonder if perhaps the man is normally so invisible to the world that this is his way to reappear, to get the looks, the stares, the attention that he needs to verify his existence. despite the dormant look in his eyes, it seems to me quite an ingenuous attempt.