My day was pretty good up until 5:10 when my critical theory class started. (I'll have to do a separate post about that and my frustrations regarding all theory and philosophy in general.) That class makes my brain hurt so much: I spend the entire two and a half hours desperately struggling to understand what the heck we're talking about and never quite succeeding. Plus today we got our
essay exams back: I didn't do as bad as I thought I did, but I think I'll take the revision option and try for a better grade. Anyway, I left class worse than when I entered (and even more worse than usual, which is saying something, given that every time I leave that class I feel completely mentally drained and incompetent.)
Emily had said she was having a rough day, so I thought that after I had class we'd jet on over to Jason's Deli for a late dinner. That plan was even more excellent after my critical theory class ended. I picked her up, and we ordered the grilled cheese (two orders of grilled cheese=$4.29. Sham. Wow.). A few minutes after we started eating this whole group of high school guys come in, and then we hear pointed whistles and whoops. Rolling our eyes we continue our meal.
Then this fifteen-or-so-year-old comes over and asks if his friend can have Emily's number. Her reply: "I don't think so." Shot down.
About ten minutes later, this kid wearing pants with flaming Superman insignias all over them comes up and sits down next to me in the booth. We say hi and exchange all the normal salutatory formalities and then just sit there. Ummmm . . . . . . . Then the kid asks, "Is it weird that I just came over here and sat down?" I reply, "I was a little surprised."
Long pause.
Realizing that this kid wasn't going away any time soon, I started asking him questions: He's on the Hurricane basketball team, he has an older brother, he's thirteen, he's in eighth grade. The only way we got rid of him was by getting up to get some of the complementary soft serve ice cream. Throughout this whole encounter I couldn't look at Emily, because then I would have cracked up laughing.
Despite the ridiculousness of this situation, the attentions of this thirteen-year-old lifted my spirits. Shallow? Maybe. Hilarious? Definitely.