Wednesday's Cell Phone Shouter
It's a quiet, Santa Monica coffee shop where every table but one is filled with readers and writers and people chatting softly. Suddenly, we're on the docks and the foreman is barking orders to the longshoremen. Oops, no...it turns out we're still in the coffee shop, and it's just a sweatshirted, 40-something mother with a frizzy, 80s blow-out barking the mundane details of her life into her cell. Tempted as I am to turn around and bark back, "Lady...just because you have a self doesn't mean you should express it!" I opt for a more mature, less immediately toxic approach, and merely shush her. Several times. Adding a turn and a look in my final shush. She eventually lowers the decibel level slightly. She eventually gets off.
SHOUTER: (sneering and aggressive) Is this a library?ME: Nooo, it's disturbing to hear one very loud side of a conversation. I politely explain further.
She cuts me off.
SHOUTER: (angrily) You made your point. You made your point. Thank you.
Why is it that rude people never say, "Jeez, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was being rude." Oh. I get it: Because they aren't being rude, they are rude.
Amy, my love, you would enjoy these more if you got to eavesdrop on the more interesting calls. I got to listen to the most interesting as I was shopping for Christmas wrap in Target. A woman was yammering loudly into her cell phone about how she, as a substitute teacher, got into a fistfight with another teacher, and how the high-school students were giving her grief over it. "You're just in a mood because Ms. Waterman beat your ass."
Personally, I found it rather entertaining, myself. Not as good as the one where you got directions and telephone number to a child's birthday party. And I love the way you handled it.
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at February 4, 2005 12:13 AM
Actually, my new annoying thing to do (but not when I'm seated someplace where I'll have them in my face in an extended way) is to say to the person on the phone, "THAT IS FASCINATING!" (while looking right at them.) They interrupt their call and ask if I was saying something, "THAT WAS Soooooo INTERESTING! What you were saying!" Then they grumble and get back on the phone.
Amy Alkon at February 4, 2005 12:24 AM
Leave a comment