"What would you rather spend your money on: a nice car or a nice apartment?"
"Hmmm," she murmured. "A nice apartment. Definitely."
I wrinkled my brow. "Really? I would totally spend it on a nice car."
"Yea, that's 'cause you're a guy. Guys would rather spend money on a car than an apartment. But girls are all about making their homes look nice."
"We all have a purpose here. It's up to us to discover what it is."
I leaned back to catch more of the conversation. The somber cafe music gave their subject a serious tone, like they were discussing the fate of the world.
"There are a lot of people in the world," said a younger voice. "How can they all have a purpose?"
"Can I ask you something off-topic? If a family pet dies, how long can you keep it in the freezer?"
I froze. Slowly, I turned my head. A woman with incredibly large and red hair was barking into a pink Motorola Razr.
"Kim is a total bitch."
Lisa looked shocked. "What? Why?"
"Because," I paused and cleared my throat, "she's annoying, spoiled, self-centered, manipulative, condescending, air-headed, and, well, a total bitch."
"What's finito?"
"It means finished."
"Well, I'm not finito yet," declared the little girl. She climbed off chair and began to walk around the cafe.
Sitting across from me in Borders Books is an elderly couple. The husband is reading a book on economics and sipping hot coffee. The wife is flipping through a magazine and eating a slice of chocolate cake.
"Young people today," the wife announces. "They're so quick to get divorced. They don't understand the value of marriage anymore."
"Damn, I can't remember what he said, but I remember it was something important."
Laura gave me the Raised Eyebrow. "You can't remember? That was like, only ten minutes ago!"
I sighed. "I know, I know…"
"Squeak squeak squeak!" went the little toddler's shoes as he raced by and out of the pearl tea cafe. His harried Mom raced after him and grabbed his arm.
"Wait, honey. Mommy's still waiting for her order," she said as she pulled him back in.
"Squeak squeak squeak," went his shoes as he followed her back in.
"Speaking of fetishes, Kim has a fetish for butts," Matt stated plainly.
"What? I DO NOT!" Kim retorted, shooting him an evil glance.
"Tell them the story about the butt exhibit," Matt prodded. He leaned back in his chair and smirked.
Look! That guy is staring at that interracial couple with a grimace. That kid keeps getting up from his seat and bringing back random books to his Mom. That girl who looks like she's barely out of college just smiled at me.
Weekly random rambles, musings & writings of Mike Lee in San Francisco, CA