30Seconds Over Baltimore....

Hey;

It's ten minutes before close and I just got online, only because I want to relate an example of how people can turn into real JERKS!! at the drop of a phrase. I spent the morning in Starbucks today, for weather and other related reasons, and had a conversation with a man in the morning, about the newspaper, and the crossword puzzle and generalities, pleasant, comfortable, typical coffee shop talk. This was an upper middle class, intelligent, educated suburban man (an assumption made through observation and analyses of his speech, his clothing, his 'accessories', and his car {a late model high end BMW}, and the college stickers on rear window of same). He had no qualms talking or joking with me at this point. He left the coffee shop, and happened to return about late afternoon, and I had just gotten back from the library myself. He stopped by my table an quipped 'Still here I see, did you spend the day here?', I answered that I spent most mornings and sometimes all day there, he asked some other questions regarding work, etc....and mentioned my sleeping bag and duffel, asking if I was going camping...with a laugh, leaving the door open for me to tell him that I was homeless and I spent so much time there because it helped me to keep off the streets and stay out of trouble in a safe atmosphere, (now for clarity let me state I had just shaved and washed up and had on fresh Khakis and a clean, new crew neck shirt, I looked preppie/yuppie almost). At the utterance of the word "HOMELESS", his whole attitude and demeanor changed, and I suddenly became 'unclean', a 'pariah', and he rudely ended any contact and walked away. Now I was a bit stunned, and to be honest, more hurt than insulted, at that point. The anger had not yet risen to the surface. The shop was nearly empty at this time, but there was one woman at a table 2 spaces over, who had happened to be watching, as I sat there working up a good old fashioned case of righteous indignation, she got up and as she was passing, stopped and said to me, "What a f*cking asshole!". Now this is an older lady, very quiet, very prim and proper, and I looked up in shock and disbelief, and she burst out laughing, saying, in a 'sweet little old lady voice'.."Oh Dearie Me..Did I Say That Out Loud?"... and I just lost it for about 10 minutes, every time I began to pull it together..SHE cracked up, both of us laughing like hyaenas. The 'Jerk' looks up at us with an annoyed face, like he was constipated for a month, and we lost it again....He walked out in a huff, spilling his coffee on his self on his way...I feel much better .....Thanks....LOL...Dave