Talking On Your Cell Phone at Starbucks


Me: Sitting quietly, typing away working on a paper.

Two women sit down next to me and chat away. Suddenly it is time to call Grant on one of their cell phones.

Lady 1:
Grant? Grant? Is that you?
How are you? I said how are you? Can you hear? Hear Me? Grant?
Are you there? Talking over you? What do you mean talking over you? Are you there?
Grant? Grant?
Oh. Oh! That's better can you hear me now? I couldn't really hear you before.
How are you?
What are you doing today?
Are you going to scrimmage today?
You're not going to scrimmage today? There's no practice today?
Oh.
I'm at Starbucks with Sally. (Hands phone to Sally urging her to say hi.)

Lady 2:
Hi Grant! What are you up to today?
Oh. You're not going to practice?
Oh.
I am sitting with Sharon.
Anything new?
Nothing new, huh.
Oh.
I never learned to skate. That sounds like fun.
It's cold, huh?
Yeah.What else is going on?
Nothing much after we are here. I'm going home.
Oh.

For some reason these ladies needed to talk in their outside voices. Their tones indicated that they needed to handle Grant carefully. I just think I didn't need to learn about him. They didn't keep their conversation at their table. In fact, I think that patrons at the counter and in the sitting area were also treated to their patronization of Grant.

Note to cell self: please keep your conversations private while in the community. The air space is for everyone to share which in my mind means we all need to keep it down to a dull roar. Or in my case, thought bubbles.




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