The Object of Laughter
It was interesting the other evening at my favorite coffee shop. I was the cause of some entertainment for a teen couple sitting at a nearby table. I have no idea why. I was sitting doing my normal thing of reading, writing my "pre-blog" (aka- my journal), and studying Spanish.

At one point I noticed that the young man would look over at me, get a smile on his face and then say something to his companion. She would then not so surreptitiously turn and look at me.

So I started writing in my journal about what was happening. I wondered what it was they found entertaining. Naturally I (also surreptitiously) checked my pants to make sure everything was zipped. Check, no problem. My baseball hat was on right. Check, no problem. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Was it strange seeing this gray-haired older guy sitting studying Spanish and seeming to enjoy it? Was it strange just watching an older guy? Was it the fact that I have an earring- something people of my age shouldn't have? I tried to go back and be a sixteen- or seventeen-year old student again sitting in their place, but of course I know me too well and couldn't do it.

Then they started to leave. And she couldn't find her keys. She had to take everything out of her purse. No keys. She looked around. No keys. They stood up and went outside, asking at the counter if anyone had turned in any keys. No keys. After a few seconds he comes back in. I help look around. No keys. He goes out. She comes in and asks. No keys. He comes back in- they are in the ignition, in the locked car.

As I left five minutes later they were waiting in his car keeping warm waiting for someone to come with an extra set of keys.

Maybe that's what happens when you make fun of old people studying Spanish in a coffee shop.

But there was no last laugh. That doesn't feel all that good either.