Eavesdroppings

“Don’t act like you’re a victim, because you’re not. You’re a liar.”

–A fella sitting on a bench in Philly, on the phone. His tone is frighteningly collected, but his bouncing leg gives away his volatile angst simmering just below the surface

“Another day, another grope”

-A man walking out of Union Station in Denver with some pep in his step 

“You know what THAT means? THIS!” (the somber sound of a juggling ball falling splat to the ground)

–A juggler in Rittenhouse Square demonstrating to a child how to handle their frustration and pent up rage

“If I can swallow it, it can’t be worth that much money”

-A woman standing next to me at the mall jewelry counter considering a row of diamond earrings. Her friend agreed.(Your scribe concurs) 

“I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life, and you know what? I gave up.”

-Man behind me on NJ transit train to New York. (Your scribe could not sum up the courage to turn her head to observe this character from such an intimate vantage point. That’s the beauty of eavesdropping: you don’t have to make eye contact.)

“I need more beverage”

–A sweat-glazed father with a kid hanging off each of his limbs in the middle of a 90 degree day at Denver Pride 

“Y’ALL HEAR THAT? She’s working late– because of me.”*

–A heavily intoxicated man in a Southern Utah ER waiting room somewhere near Zion National Park, sitting on a gurney in attendance by a young nurse. 

*Technically, this doesn’t count as eavesdropping as the speaker spoke with the intention of his words reaching everyone else in the ER. Before he passed blissfully into slumber, I learned that he hadn’t gone a day without “the hair of the dog” since Nam, and that this was his second trip to the ER of the week. Sunday was due to a fight with his goddamn downstairs neighbor. He didn’t get to the part explaining why he was there again that day. That’s when the nurse entered stage right.