Dear Kid,

I had coffee with a friend yesterday morning. We met at Panera and while it was great catching up, it was even more fun to watch all the comings and goings.

There was a lady with her young son (I’m guessing 4-ish). He was very disappointed to find out his orange juice had pulp in it (apparently they do not have pulp-y o.j. at home) but he behaved beautifully about the whole thing. If his mother had a slightly quieter voice or hadn’t been directly facing me I never would have known about it. 10 points to the kid.

There was a man sitting at the table next to me who was getting holiday cards ready for mailing. He had the whole production spread out over a table and was addressing, stuffing, and stamping with great precision. I don’t believe he was drinking oj (or anything else for that matter). He was also very quiet. 8 points (he wasn’t as cute as the little boy.)

There was the lady sitting next to the fireplace who was reading something complicated in German. I know this because she had brought along a German dictionary that was bigger than most school busses. I thought she was meeting someone because another lady came over put her stuff down. Then lady #2 disappeared, leaving her stuff. 6 points because I was confused.

Across the restaurant there was a Gathering of Women. About 10 ladies were together (having moved heaven, hell, and a great many tables to their satisfaction). They were too far away for me to hear them (for which I am somewhat grateful), but they seemed to be having a swell time. Extra points for happy people.

The gentleman two tables over was not having a good time. He had a bass voice that made Boris Karloff (the singer in the Grinch [original version]) sound like a tenor. He would work for a while and then talk on the phone for a while. Every time he talked it sounded like the center of the earth rumbling. He was quiet, but it was a surprise each time he opened his mouth. 1,000 points for the unexpected voice.

On the other side, there was a job interview. I could hear the occasional question, but mostly it was the aura of nerves that gave it away. Bonus points to help the dude get the job.

There were two old men having coffee together. Adorable. Give them as many points as they are years old. I’m estimating 200 each.

There were the general comings and goings of all the people in desperate need of caffeine and carbohydrates. The only one who gets points is the woman in the pink jacket who must have had bells someplace because she jiggled.

Then a guy came zooming in (Man On A Mission). He was late to meet Center of the Earth Voice, but COTEV seemed ok with it. No points for tardiness.

A round of applause and flavored cream cheese points to the Panera staff, because they were crazy cheerful today and they didn’t burn anything while we were there.

Hope your day is full of bonus points.

Love, Mom