Loud People

As I settle into a comfortable chair in the airport lounge, I glance contentedly around the room. Only three other travelers share the space with me. A father and his  son are busily setting up breakfast they just purchased from the next door Starbucks and a young man directly across from me is apparently in deep sleep.

As I fire up my computer and hook-up to the internet, a burly individual enters and strides straight to the middle of the room. For reasons not entirely known to me, although I’m guessing allergies, he begins clearing his throat vigorously. Not just a couple of times, but one of those long, protracted episodes that guarantee to bring up not just his phlegm but that of all of us within hearing distance.

His disgusting moment seems to bring him great pleasure and apparently success. It also wakes up the young man across from me. Seeing him stir, the throat-clearer grins and offers, “Sorry!”

Then, as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared. Our little world order was back in place and I returned to my work.

But now he’s back. And his cell phone is out. And he’s talking loudly to someone about things that should be private. He seems pleased to be interrupting the rest of us with his conversation. When an unsuspecting individual sits down close by and then moves when they realize they are next to the oblivious communicator, he responds by talking louder.

I know that some people talk loud and some people talk soft. It just seems that the loud talkers have no clue how intrusive it is.

However, there are certain benefits. It seems that this guy’s credit card number is 5338-24 . . . . . .