Breakfast at IHOP

So we got up early and went out to breakfast together. IHOP was pretty empty, and the waitress rocked. She got everything right, the food came out on time, and she prebussed the table. Plus, the food was actually good. I dont have high expectations from places like IHOP and Denny's, so I was quite impressed.

Steve and Jennifer were relaxed and happy, and so was I to a certain extent. There were these two cretins in the back of the restaraunt, saying things that just got my back up. I didnt catch everything they said, but enough of it that made me realize these were the scumbags you warn your daughters about. There were two of them, and it became quite obvious that the older guy was trying to sell the younger guy on something, as he was doing most of the talking.

The first thing I heard from them was, "..all night long you've been saying..." which lets me know that they've been out all night. Okay, who cares. The next thing I heard was, "She definitely wasn't wearing any Walmart shit. So you gotta think, 40 women a night, they each buy $100 of clothes. That's 4k in one night, and half of that is pure profit." Yep, gotta love those get rich quick schemers. Maybe the text doesnt carry it entirely, but having heard them, I know exactly what the older one was up too. I've seen his type a hundred times over on the midnight shift at Denny's.

So I kinda tune them out, but about halfway through breakfast I hear something that makes me semi interested again. I hear the older guy start talking about some woman, how he was trying to get her pants off by saying they should take it slow before they hop in the sack. Basically, preying on a lonely woman, feeding her everything she needs to hear to open up, and using her for sex. I hope Jennifer was paying attention there, because I've always told her that guys her age will say anything to get in her pants, and they dont always grow out of it. This guy was a world class sleaze bag, and it made me appreciate how precious my relationship with Steve is. I could have wound up with a user like that, seriously.

The more I listened to the older one's side of the conversation, the more it reminded me of my first love. It was like having a voice recording of the things that were rolling through his head. My ex was an amazing salesman, charming, handsome, mysterious but with a really warped value of human life or emotion. He was solely out for himself, he didnt care what he did as long as he didnt get damaged along the way. Part of that was survival, but the larger part was something else.

I've been lamenting my early evenings, silently rebelling against being so good, or doing the right thing, anguishing over appearing wholesome, even Cleaver-ish. But I would take this lifestyle over those assholes anyday.