Boy With Glasses

*Just a quick note! This particular story was written two years ago and serves as a sneak peek at what sort of content you can expect from me. Enjoy!

I do believe I thoroughly surprised a man in Starbucks the other day.

I seemed to have developed a morning routine, which is odd because I usually hate mornings. Though, due to my new job, I must wake up, take a shower, get dressed in khaki pants and a suitable top, prepare my lunch bag, and make a 45 min drive into the city to be in the office by 8 o’clock every weekday morning. However, I have developed a love for the Starbucks around the corner of my office and their double espressos, even if they only serve them in to-go cups.

So, I now spend a full 20 minutes before 8 siting in the comfortable chairs at this particular Starbucks sipping my coffee and reading, drawing, or what ever I feel like doing that morning to wake my mind up before I allow myself to be surrounded by office walls for the next 8 hours.

And, of course, I indulge in one of my favorite past-times: Eavesdropping.

Oh, I’m not one of those gossips that listen in for “all the juicy details”, I just like to learn about people. I’m a marketer. Knowing about every little thing in a consumer’s lifestyle and then exploiting it for my company’s own profit is what I DO! But that aside… I just like to learn about people because, well, the human creature is just that fascinating! And coffee shops are really great places to go to learn about people.

You can learn so much!

Just by looking at the title of the book one person is reading, or the kind of latte they order, where they like to sit, what they talk about with others (or themselves) and why they are sticking around in the cafe long enough for you to notice anything about them– can tell you loads of interesting stories! And the best part.

Most of them never know you’ve been listening!

I don’t know what you normal people are actually thinking, but I’ve been led to believe that when you have a conversation with someone in a public place, it’s like no one can hear you except the person you’re talking to (or about – for specific, paranoia driven, conversations). I was a server at a restaurant for 4 very busy summers and let me tell you, folks, you’re not as alone as you think.

But I digress… the point of this article was this story:

A man was standing behind me in line and we had just had a brief conversation about what he and I were ordering; he was a polite, seemingly social, person and had instigated the engagement. Anywho, our little batter ended and I turned away to order and pay for my espresso. Meanwhile, a man from a table came up and greeted the man behind me in a very enthusiastic way (strong handshake, big smile, loudly saying ‘Gregory! Hey hey!”).

Their conversation continued and as I turned to leave I made the simple comment of “Nice to meet you Gregory,” and went on my way.

End of story? haha, not quite.

The next day I went through my paces and eventually came to the part where I got my drink and sat down in a free chair. Guess who was sitting close by? Gregory.

The conversation went a little like this:

“So, you caught my name but I didn’t catch yours yesterday?”

“Oh! I’m Liz!”

“Hi. Um… How did you catch my name?”

Man I love people 😀