Do You Ever Do This?
Javert and I were in a little coffee shop this weekend, a place where I continually try to go for lunch and can never get a table and therefore rarely actually end up going. I tried last Tuesday when I had the day off, but even at 2pm on a random Tuesday it was full. On Saturday we were there at 6pm and took the last empty table. I ordered a latte and Javert got a chocolate chip brioche, and we sat and read the paper.
Except I didn't read the paper. I held it up and pretended to read while I noticed the two women sitting at the table next to us were speaking to each other in Hebrew. It was fast Hebrew and I couldn't understand it, so I then turned to eavesdrop on the people sitting on the other side of us, a couple and a girl who I presumed was in college and possibly their daughter or niece or something. They weren't terribly interesting, so I turned my attention back to the Hebrew speakers and now here's the weird part--I pretended to understand and eavesdrop on them. I admit I was tired. But I don't think that excuses a weirdo who pretends to eavesdrop on people whose language she can't understand.
Along the same lines, I often put on a show for people who I know are eavesdropping on me. Saturday, before the coffee shop incident, Javert and I had lunch at a bistro-type restaurant nearby our apartment. There was a street fair outside and it wasn't cold out, so we sat outside for the first time since the fall. Halfway through our meal, a boy sat down at the table next to us, ordered a latte and french toast, and then got out a book about or possibly by Freud and pretended to read while actually listening to our conversation. Either that or he is a REALLY slow reader. Javert and I were having a good time discussing the "puzzler" feature on Car Talk (meaning Javert would give me a puzzle and I would fail miserably trying to solve it) and then trying to guess the color order of the letters in his company's name (Initech, remember?). I did better than Javert on that one, which is interesting since he sees the logo way more often than I do. Anyway, I had a good time exaggerating for the benefit of our little audience. I hope he enjoyed the show!
Except I didn't read the paper. I held it up and pretended to read while I noticed the two women sitting at the table next to us were speaking to each other in Hebrew. It was fast Hebrew and I couldn't understand it, so I then turned to eavesdrop on the people sitting on the other side of us, a couple and a girl who I presumed was in college and possibly their daughter or niece or something. They weren't terribly interesting, so I turned my attention back to the Hebrew speakers and now here's the weird part--I pretended to understand and eavesdrop on them. I admit I was tired. But I don't think that excuses a weirdo who pretends to eavesdrop on people whose language she can't understand.
Along the same lines, I often put on a show for people who I know are eavesdropping on me. Saturday, before the coffee shop incident, Javert and I had lunch at a bistro-type restaurant nearby our apartment. There was a street fair outside and it wasn't cold out, so we sat outside for the first time since the fall. Halfway through our meal, a boy sat down at the table next to us, ordered a latte and french toast, and then got out a book about or possibly by Freud and pretended to read while actually listening to our conversation. Either that or he is a REALLY slow reader. Javert and I were having a good time discussing the "puzzler" feature on Car Talk (meaning Javert would give me a puzzle and I would fail miserably trying to solve it) and then trying to guess the color order of the letters in his company's name (Initech, remember?). I did better than Javert on that one, which is interesting since he sees the logo way more often than I do. Anyway, I had a good time exaggerating for the benefit of our little audience. I hope he enjoyed the show!
posted by Emil at 1:31 PM
1 Comments:
hahaha!
i'm not sure i understand the pretending to eavesdrop part. is it so they would ham it up? but i totally understand the idea of being more dramatic or loud or whatever if you know someone's eavesdropping. people here seem to be much less subtle about it, and will actually listen openly to my conversations and even laugh aloud when appropriate. the result of that is that i usually start drawing them into the conversation too. which is possibly the point!
Post a Comment
<< Home