Important Stuff

I was sitting in my office this morning when someone walked into our lobby area. My desk is angled to look out my office door and right onto the lobby, so I can see when someone comes in, but still ignore them if I don't feel like talking to them or recognizing that they exist. That's usually the tack I take.

Young man walks in. I can tell right away that he's way too short for me to bother paying attention to for anything other than work requirements. He starts talking to our receptionist. I completely evesdrop. He asks for one of the other guys here and proceeds to tell her that he's this guy's son.

"Oh, are you the one that's getting married?"

What followed was, I'm not kidding you, a 23 minute discussion with this poor young man involving every female staff member of our office that covered, in no particular order, the following: the location of the wedding, whether anyone knew anyone who'd been married at that location, whether anyone had ever even been to that location, what the dress was like, where they were going to live, how does he like Chicago, does his future bride like Chicago, what does her dress look like, what does her ring look like, is he going to wear a ring because his dad doesn't, is it a sit down meal or a buffet, what are the colors for the bridesmaids, have they gotten a cake yet and, finally, do they need a caterer because someone knows someone who knows someone, if he's interested.

I imagine that this is not an unusual position for this guy to be in. There are two subjects that people, well, really, women, absolutely lose their shit over--weddings and babies. Not having ever been involved in either of those things might color my perception a bit. However, does anyone really need a receptionist at the dentist's office giving them her opinion on baby names? Or whether they should have an open bar for the entire wedding or just before and after dinner? Or what flavor filling should be in the cake? The answer is obviously raspberry, anyway, and everyone knows that, so keep your opinions to yourself. Who the hell cares what these people think? And why oh why do they feel like it is any of their business?

Let me tell you, if it is your business, you'll be invited to the wedding, or the baptism, or whatever. If it isn't, you won't. Get over it. My God, people, this young man is not your stand-in for "Engaged and Underage" or "Bridezillas" or whatever other horrible wedding reality show you watch. He is not there for your personal entertainment. Let him get on with his life. Treat him like a real person. Ask him what he thinks about Iraq. Or the collapse of the American Auto Industry.

Or Anna Nicole's funeral. You know, ask him important stuff.