Dunkin Donuts
So I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get my usual medium iced coffee with cream and sugar this morning and I ran into the girl I usually see at the drive up window. I don’t mean I literally hit her with my car, I just mean, she was sitting outsite smoking a cigarette on her break. I felt like killing some more time before I headed back to work after having taken my grandmother to an enthralling trip to the pediatrist.
Several things came out of this conversation. The topic of age came up. It was ironic, she thought I was a lot older than 21 (she said I looked 23ish), and I thought she was at least 20 or 21 (she was actually 18). Along this topic of conversation school came up. I said Vassar..blah blah...and I asked if she had just graduated from Webster High School (being 18 and such). She then informed me that she didn’t graduate and she was in the process of getting her GED. Note: In no way, shape, or form am I making fun of this girl. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and the conversation continued for another minute or two. Somewhere in the middle of this I picked up on some kind of slight accent which got me randomly thinking for some reason or another. It’s funny how you might see a person every single day and not notice something that would be incredibely obvious if you actually took the time to pay attention. This is the first thing that made me feel a little bad about myself. Later on throughout the day I began to realize what had caught my attention when she had mentioned that she hadn’t graduated. I applaud her blatant honesty to this apparent stranger (me) and her complete lack of fear of me placing some type of misinformed judgement about her because of this fact. What bothered me the rest of the day was the sad realization that had the tables been turned and I was in her situation and this stranger had just asked me that question I would have almost definitely lied for hopes of remaining in opinion. I don’t quite know what that says about me as a person, but it’s been bothering me all day now.