I eat breakfast on Sundays at a little Mexican restaurant near my house. Sometime I eat alone, like today, but more often I eat with my wife. I ordered chile rojas and eggs, which is spicy enough to make sweat, and settled in with a book. I was after some high-quality me time. I did not get it.
Facing me across the table was a party of four. One old fat man in a wheel chair and his robust wife. A bald old man of 70 or so sat across from him along with his fat wife. The talked about everything; all of it loud.
They got my attention when the bald man stuck a foot up to show his friend the deal he got on 99 cent diabetic socks. His foot, encased in a shoe with the sock showing just above the ankle, rose to within a foot of my table and food. He did it again with his second foot to show that he was wearing a tall sock on that foot. I thought they were idiots. What they talked about next proved it.
Gender neutral bathrooms... They did not believe school children could identify as different gender. They had never met a transgender child, so transgender kids did not exist. The bald man, said, "There are no school children who need a gender neutral bathroom. If they are gender confused, direct them to the principal!"
Most people in the restaurant looked away, embarrassed. I stared at the man, but he would not look my way.
Gender talk went on for a few minutes and included digs at President Obama and Target. The man was working himself up to some point, but then he switched gears and started in on welfare cheats. His solutions to a crisis that did not exist were Fox News talking points. I hope he does not vote.
I did not interrupt these old fools. I wanted to, but this in my neighborhood place, so I did not want to make a scene. Plus, I am a big scary man and I tend to make people uneasy when I insert myself into their conversations. Instead, I did my best to ignore these idiots, just like everyone else in the restaurant.
They left before I finished my breakfast. the place quieted down. My server apologized for the old idiots. She said that they were regulars. I smiled and waved it off. After a few minutes, I took another bite of chile rojas along with an unordered side of despair. The world is full of idiots.