A Starbucks can be an interesting place... if you listen. I sat for nearly 40 minutes today, first believing I dodged and ex only to be reminded I am one that stands out even incognito. I witnessed girls examining their boyfriends snapchats to decipher whether or not he's talking to anyone else. Simultaneously there is a regular meeting that occurs between an ex Air force and his class buddy to talk about their current engineering project due in the spring.
The best part of listening to what everyone's doing is the interaction with a man I see every time I visit. He is a homeless man, white beard down to his belly and long scraggly hair. He has an odor to him but not overwhelming. The interactions with people and him are devastating or they're heartwarming. He often sits quietly at a high table with his life packed neatly on a cart near the door. "ewe don't you think he could go anywhere else?" "let's just let anyone take up all the space, he doesn't even have shoes... I mean cmon." or "why would they let him in here" are often uttered by ignorant kids going about their way to their half caf whatever 8$ coffees. On the opposite side there are a few people that often offer him food, or to buy him a coffee. I've been here for 4 years now and he's there day in and out always with the kindness of someone else purchasing him a drink. Today I initially heard the degrading whisper-talk of the creme de la creme of sorority girls but then it was cut to a stop by an employee "excuse me miss, I understand you are unhappy with certain things in your life but you I would have assumed your parents taught you to keep negative thoughts to yourself?" She then bought him a cinnamon bun on the house. Furious the sorority girl scanned her app on her phone and stomp walked to wait in line for her drink before the inevitable hair flip to leave.
Seated by him I could just hear her high heel boot things stomping everywhere throughout the small coffee shop and her huffs of exasperation emanated as a constant reminder of how important she is.