18: the dangling conversation

Yesterday, I went to get lunch and do some reading for class at a sandwich place before driving to Syracuse. The reading was boring and me and my incredibly self-disciplined brain were watching the other customers in the restaurant while we (the mouth and stomach that wanted to eat it, the hands that moved it back and forth, the brain that chose it and made the money to pay for it) ate our soup and bagel. I was really struck by these two people, a man and a woman, about our age, sitting at a table across the room from me. I'd noticed them sit down because of their size difference -- the man was really really tall and the very petite woman didn't even come up to his shoulder -- and because he'd pulled out her chair for her, something I've never been able to set a policy on for myself. Is it nice? Why do men only do it for women? Are you implying I am incapable of pulling out my own chair? Why did this become some grand chivalrous gesture when it is actually harder to sit down on something that is moving, thus making it potentially awkward for both the pusher and the sitter? Why am I overthinking this so much and not letting someone just do something nice for me? Etc. etc. Ah, that brain is a fun place.

Back to our two friends: They'd bought a really big lunch, with multiple sandiwches and soups and bags of chips, and stuff was totally covering their table. And they were eating very methodically, in total and complete silence. They were each looking around the restaurant, almost as though they were avoiding eye contact. It drove me kind of insane on their behalf, honestly. I was busy thinking up potential topics for them, such as "wow it is nice out today" and "this sandwich is good, would you like a bite" and "why is that crazy woman in the corner staring at us," but no amount of mental prompting moved them. Entire meal spent in silence, and then they got up and left.

I am still thinking about it, and about all the reasons they could have been quiet with each other. I won't go into the possibilities I've come up with, most of which are kind of morbid, but it made me sad.

In other news, is it possible to break your heel? Or maybe some part of the back of your instep? Because it felt fine going into African dance tonight, and there was no memorable traumatic event such as me falling on it or impaling it on something during class. After class, I noticed it aching a little, but then after going out to Mexican food with J and not moving it much for an hour or so, I almost fell over when I stood up. Ice is currently being applied, but ow.