13. “I Probably Ruined ‘Abbey Road’ For Both Of Them”
Well, it was in public, but I was the only other person there.
I was working a very slow night in my coffeeshop, and a guy and girl came to meet in there. (The coffeeshop was terribly mismanaged at the time, and so we had terrible business.) She was obviously very nervous and so was he, and the place was small enough that I could, if I wanted to, hear what they were saying. The thing was that I didn’t want to hear what they were saying. I wanted to enjoy myself at work and also I was concerned about them ruining the evening for other potential customers who would come in and see an awkward meeting happening.
My solution was to play music, from the kitchen/counter, loud enough so I couldn’t hear them. I played Abbey Road very loudly while reading, every once in a while glancing up to see them suffering, as he clearly explained to her that he did not want what she wanted, as in they hooked up and she got the wrong idea.
I realized, while listening to it, that I was almost certainly ruining Abbey Road for both of them, as they would forever associate it with this awkward memory.
14. Clearly He Wasn’t Over It
I’m fairly certain this was a breakup, and if it wasn’t, I would hope a breakup happened afterwards.
I was at a restaurant with my family a few years ago, and the couple at the table next to us were arguing, not sure about what, and trying and failing to keep their voices down. It ended up with the guy flipping his plate over/at her, yelling “I’m over it” and storming out. Woman started crying, my mom actually got up and comforted her. The restaurant ended up comping their meal and the woman was fairly inconsolable. It was really uncomfortable to witness.
