Eavesdropping in an Insurance Company Cafeteria
“So, I saw him again in line at Wal-Mart,” says the dishwater-bleached-blonde, forty-something, in a pink knit top. “This was the little old man with the two wiener dogs.”
I glance over again, wondering who could possibly care. The lumpy brunettes do. The other self-made blonde, fifty-something maybe, stares out the wall of windows that show smokers on a bench. I wonder what she’s thinking about while she pretends to listen. Maybe something sordid or sad. I notice her foot tapping. Oh – in irritation.
Back to the little old man. “He was checking out my groceries,” the Queen of the Lunch Table said. One of the brunettes laughed. So the Queen told it to us again in her perky Texas twang.
“Uh huh. He was checking out my groceries. ‘You sure must do a lot of laundry,’ he said.”
Someone murmured something inquisitive. The Queen was quick to share the benefit of her experience.
“Oh, I think Sam’s has better prices, sure.”
The older, irritated blonde got up and left. No apologetic smile – nothing. Took her tray and slipped away.
The Queen went on as if she didn’t notice, slowing down with extra drawl. “I buy Gain. I used to buy that Surf, I think it was called, but then I started to notice it was bleaching out all my clothes. I had been using it for the longest time, and then I saw that all my clothes were getting faded. So I started using Gain. I just love the way it smells. They have that new one… Island Fresh, or Island Something. It smells so good. Mm, I love it.”
The floor was opened to general discussion about dish soap. The table worked on that for a good while. By the time they switched back to the Mecca that is Wal-Mart, I had finished my baked potato, so I opened my book and stopped listening.
