There was the aging (65ish) male hippie with a very long braided ponytail of gray-silver hair. Every coffee shop in the world has one of these guys. His companion appeared to be less hippie-like as she had dyed blond hair, plenty of makeup and dressed “business casual”. They scarcely spoke as they sipped their coffee.
A couple sat by a fireplace in separate armchairs in lieu of the more intimate sofa. I speculated they were on a first date. He had a loud voice that allowed anyone to listen in if so inclined. After hearing a few sentences it was apparent he was an “all about me” blowhard. He dominated their conversation and she made a good choice to limit this date to lunch.
Two well-dressed women were enjoying the chicken salad. My best guess was school administrators as it was a school holiday. Their conversation was intense, often talking at the same time, but we couldn’t make out a single word. This was because they kept the volume down and the verbal interference from “Mr. All About Me”.
Two more women were at a table near the fireplace. We cannot recall much about them. Being overweight with slumping posture and wearing frumpy clothes is a great formula to emulate Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility.
Just as we detected a disturbing lack of laptops a couple in their early 30’s arrived and set up shop with two laptops on a small table next to us. At first, I was annoyed that they sat so close since there were plenty of other tables scattered throughout the shop. It quickly became clear they needed a power outlet for the laptops and that outlet was near us. I noticed she was using her laptop to watch a movie. Debbie noticed she wore an engagement ring and neither had a wedding band. They did not talk other than to order coffee.
Then there was a 50ish couple. He wore tactical clothing and I think I made out the imprint of a Ruger LCP. He fancied himself as some sort of NCIS undercover agent as he was analyzing the people in the shop to determine their character and intent. He used his cell phone as a cover, pretending to be using it while looking past the cell phone to study the people. She was much younger looking than him and very smartly dressed in browns and tans with practical yet stylish boots. She noticed the decor and commented on it as well as on the general cleanliness of the shop. They carefully studied the menu together, and after ordering some coffee and food went on to have an engaging conversation. Oh, wait that last couple was us!