I'm sorry, do you work here?
In Starbucks this morning, i am third in line and there are two cashiers working. The first woman in line is reaching into her wallet to pay the cashier on the left, when she suddenly and excitedly turns to the cashier on the right, who is about to take the next woman's order.
"Hey, i recognize you! I saw you at the Bedford Garden Show last week!"
"Oh Yeah? You went to the Garden Show too? Why didn't you say hi?"
"I didn't recognize you! I mean, it's so hard when you see someone out of context..."
They continue excitedly talking, as if suddenly unconcerned with to the other customers in line. The cashier on the left, still waiting for his cash, is actually holding out his hand to the oblivious customer. The woman in front of me is impatiently following the conversation like a tennis match. The chatting barista seems non-concerned.
The customer continues:
"Do you usually go to those things? I mean, do you think you're going to go to the next one? I always think..." blah blah blah, etc. etc.
After about a minute, the woman in front of me has had enough.
"Excuse me," she says, "Can i get a cup of coffee?"
I guess she only like to see people IN context. As in the context of: You make coffee here, right?
PS: Maybe you don't think this story is so funny, but if you could have heard this woman say this, with such irritation but without a hint of irony, it would have rekindled your faith in the possibility of authentic responces in our all-tropes-exhausted post-mordern world. Plus i almost snorted coffee up my nose.
PPS: This weekend, a post wedding recap, i PROMISE.