Down at the neighborhood coffee shop, Best Friend and I are listening to the chatter.  Oh, what one learns when one listens!

Well, perhaps “being forced to listen” is a better description of what is happening.  Some people have no compunction on talking so loudly, that you feel like you are at their table, even if you are several tables away.

Never mind that you are attempting to have a conversation with whomever is at your table.

Maybe people don’t realize their voices carry.  Maybe some just don’t care who hears what gibberish and gossip they spout.  Maybe they just don’t care.

©2022 Colcannon Metropolis, excerpt from “Dining at Chez Ersatz,” “Thoughts from the Terrace on a Rainy Day,” and “Postcards from The Ridge”