you shouldn’t talk to strangers. here’s why i’m going against what my mom taught me.
me: can i have a decaf, non-fat mocha?
him: you sure can. *rings in order*
me: *looks through purse for wallet*
him: how are you today?
me: *oblivious to the fact the question is directed at me*
him: *repeats question*
me: *looks behind to confirm he is talking to me*
him: *laughs* you are all *imitates my startled face*
me: i don’t know why i didn’t realize you were talking to me. i’m doing well, thanks. and you?
him: maybe we should switch that order to caffeinated?
me: valid point, but my stomach prefers the decaf. (*thinks to self* self, did you just admit too much?)
him: have a good day.
me: you too.
and as i waited for my drink to be made, i pondered my confusion. was it the fact he asked me how i was doing after he took my order? was it my level of tiredness? why didn’t i realize he was talking to me? have you ever revealed too much information to a stranger? have you ever been a part of a conversation you didn’t realize was taking place?
Abigail Mumford 
Ha! I would have done the same thing.
I love your conversations with strangers. :)
thanks! i’m glad to know i’m in good company!
If I were him, I wouldn’t have asked a second time :) Nice of him that he did!
I think this happens a lot in retail. Customers are focused on getting the thing that came in for, so they’re not paying attention to what’s being said to them (or near them). So many times I’ve asked “What can I get for you today” and people have answered “Fine, thanks” :)
In your defense, you were clearly undercaffeinated, so you had an excuse!
i’m usually very aware of my surroundings, which is why this caught me so off-guard. it’s nice of you to give me the undercaffeinated benefit of the doubt, but considering i can’t tolerate caffeine and was ordering decaf, it’s not much of an excuse. ha.
in other news, i’ve totally said “fine, thanks” or some other wrong answer to a question that wasn’t asked because i was anticipating what they were going to say instead of hearing what they actually did. it’s always an awkward exchange after when we both realize what’s happened… good times.
Conversing with strangers is sometimes the only way we have of truly knowing who we are as a person.
Not realizing that strangers are talking to us can be telling as well =]
i never thought about it as the reverse. maybe I’M the stranger he decided to talk to today which is why he stuck with the conversation.
i like it.
maybe he was just trying to fill the empty air between the two of you as you panned for gold in the bottom of your purse. some people just can’t handle silences of any time. maybe he was one of them?
that is my hypothesis. i could be wrong though. its been known to happen once in a blue moon, but only once. cuz, you know…im perfect.
and mean. don’t forget that. pass it on. (in which i think im going to start ending all my comments with that phrasing.)
i think you hit the nail on the head with that hypothesis. i’m not one of those rambly type of people so sometimes i forget others are. BTW, i never found the gold i was apparently panning for.
in other MEAN news, thou doth protest too much.
NOT a protest Abby. I’m stating a fact here. One that everybody (including your mom) should know by now. that’s all.
karla’s a big meanie. pass it on
mmmmhmmmm. sure.