We were having dinner at a popular restaurant the other night. The place was packed, as usual. In the section we were in, it was all elderly couples and families. A young 20 ish kid came in alone. To keep himself company he turned on the music feature of his phone. Without ear buds or head phones.

The rest of us were subjected to loud, vile, foul, pornographic rhythmic speech (not sure what it is called these days.) He was surrounded by the elderly and children, as he turned up the noise and started eating his meal. We were directly across from him.

Hal immediately distracted Addie as I exchanged shocked looks with the two elderly black ladies sitting near us. Song two started in, even worse than the first. Look, if he wants to listen to that sort of disgusting noise, fine, but put on the headphones so the rest of us don’t have to.

I finally caught his eye and gave him the over the glasses stare I perfected while teaching. He waved at me and grinned. While there was a pause in the noise, I said, loudly, “Really/” We have to listen to that crap while we are trying to eat a meal? There are elderly and children here! Surely you were raised better than you are behaving.” The elderly ladies said, “Amen!”

The kid turned all sorts of red, got up and left his meal. (it is a pay first place) Of course, he didn’t leave a tip for the woman running back and forth with his demands – not requests, demands. No, he wasn’t black, it doesn’t matter anyway. If he were black, he never would have done that with to elderly aunties nearby. Black men are terrified of elderly females. The kid was either Hispanic or Middle Eastern.

I am so horrified that we even have to tell someone that age to have some manners. Of course, with the words coming out of his phone, I am not at all surprised that he has no respect for others. Ye gods and little fishes, that downright ruined my meal, and I ended up sick by the time I got home. I need to find a way to wash out my mind.