The People I Meet – Unapologetically Human
A quiet café, a habitual apology, and a curious kid.
It was a Sunday well spent. The summer sun ran its routine, and stayed with us through the day. As the last stop before returning home, we visited a quaint café. The café was quiet—possibly because we were the only occupants when we walked in. It had a couple of interesting ramps at the door—narrow, short, and steep, making me wonder about the balance of functional use and aesthetics.
The Conversation At The Other Table
Outside, the sun was setting somewhere, as we were nursing our Americano and Cortado, to the peaceful, non-intrusive bustle of staff and kitchen. A mother and her kid walked in after some time. The kid could have been somewhere in the five to seven age bracket, maybe even younger. They sat down, and they were chatting like friends. They were waiting for a few more people to join them, but didn’t wait to order.
The mother showed the menu to her kid and asked her to choose. When the staff came around to take the order, the kid confidently gave her order directly to the staff. How often do you see an adult hand a child a menu and let them order? Or let them speak to the staff without prompting?
After the mother placed her order, the staff asked her if any of the dishes needed to be prepared in Jain style. She didn’t understand the question in the first go, so the staff repeated it, but she still didn’t understand. We were the only other occupied table at the café, and my partner helped out the staff by rephrasing the question.
She got it the third time around, and apologised to the staff. Seeing that, the kid immediately asked her mother why she was apologising. The mother calmly explained that it was because she was unable to understand what the staff was saying, and so couldn’t answer the question. There are instances where an apology is warranted, but not honoured. Then there are instances like this where it’s not really needed, but slips out of habit. Maybe she apologised for taking up the staff’s time. Maybe she saw her lack of understanding in the first go as a minor failure. Maybe it was just out of habit.
What stood out was the kid’s attentiveness—noticing the apology, and asking why it was needed at all. And the lady’s willingness to answer the question honestly, rather than keeping it for another day. Later, their friends came along, and the lady at the table felt so at home in the café that she ran to the door to welcome and hug her friends as they walked in.
Listen Up
Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, from her second album, ‘Everybody’s Free’, released in 1991.
You can check out my Trove Of Tunes—a curated Spotify playlist, here.
Cheers,
Shri