Private Conversations

I once dated a man who, after I broke up with him, expressed that it was rude and suspicious behavior when I either didn't answer a call or left the room to talk on the phone. Of course he said a lot of other psychotic things -- before he tried to persuade me to get back together with him -- so I didn't take it too personally. Everyone in my family does the aforementioned phone thing. My thought (and I guess my children's by my example) is that you pay attention to the person you're with; in the event you feel you need to take a call, you excuse yourself so as not to bother others or intrude upon their space. I was reminded of this as I waited in my doctor's office this afternoon. Maybe I go overboard with consideration, but it seems not only discourteous but also weird when people have private conversations in public places. Of five people in the waiting room with me, three answered their cell phones and held a conversation. One did actually go outside -- and was still there when the nurse called for her to come back. That meant we all had to wait just a little longer, and she was still talking on the phone as she walked to the exam room.

Earlier today when I was in the store, a young couple behind me chatted loudly (to each other, not on the phone). The woman said, "You're a perv. [pause] That's why we're having babies." She continued on, wondering about how her pregnancy with twins would affect her body and her life. The man said nothing. Maybe he realized this dialog -- monologue, really -- was better held in private. Keep in mind that I overheard all of this in the space of less than five minutes while standing at the checkout counter. I am tempted sometimes (and having given into the urge) to insert my own comments into such conversations. Usually people are flustered; maybe they didn't get that their behavior was inappropriate. On occasion, people have said something along the lines of "I'm having a private conversation here," to which I have replied, "No, you're not." Does that make me a bitch?