Virtual Confetti

Lunch is a fascinating time to people watch.  I think most people try to make it a social experience… a little food, a little discussion, a little looking around to comment on other people doing the same.  As a writer, it’s common for me to visit my favorite hashery, escorted only by my journal and Pigma Micron pens.  I, therefore, do more surveillance than most of the other patrons.  It can be both an enlightening and amusing experience.

As I delicately sliced off a scrap of my medium-rare tri-tip roast, my attention was distracted by a nearby couple, certainly not delicately slicing anything but my nerves.  It was actually a woman and her young daughter.  A thin, white cord connected Mom’s earphones to her phone, and every few minutes, she entertained a new call.  Social calls, not necessarily between bites.  She stared straight ahead at Daughter, who was entertaining herself with a coloring book.  Between calls, she’d talk to Daughter, and they appeared to have a normal conversation… for about three minutes at a time.  What I found interesting was that the daughter could tell when the call stopped, even though Mom remained in her comatose, forward-looking pose.  It was difficult for me to identify the segues, but somehow Daughter was all too familiar with the behavior.  I found it sad that this was probably considered “quality time” between Mom and Daughter.  At least it wasn’t McDonald’s.