Listening

I'm an observant person most of the time, well as it pertains to strangers anyway. If a neighbor gets a new car, or doesn't pick up their paper for week I notice. Some might call me nosey, but I prefer observant. I'm always eavesdropping, again I prefer the term observant thank you.

While in line at the store I hear the strangest things. Cell phones have zapped people of their self-edit, and ability to feel shame or embarrassment. They either don't care how Springer they sound, or (and this is worse) they feel like a superstar.

'Tell him he better not fuckin' plan on drinking the whole time'

My ears perk as the woman in front of me with her teen son is talking loudly on the phone. Okay I may be a nosey effer, but you can't tell me you wouldn't listen and think how delicious that was as well.

'I'm just saying I'm not comin' over there if he's gonna be fuckin' drinkin, I'm not doing that'

I watch the kid for some sign of shock, and instead I'm shocked because the kid looks bored like he's heard this before..maybe even earlier that day. This saddens me somewhat.

'Last time he was so drunk, and acting like an asshole the whole time'

Sadly our time together ended as she paid and left. I'll never know who the drunk was, where there was, or how long the whole time would be. Really the only thing I knew for sure was he better not be drinking.