shivering, yet warmed by the subject matter

"my wife is in the next room, we've been having troubles, you know? please, don't tell her or anyone... but i need to talk to somebody." he said "wouldn't it be a shame if i knew how great i was 5 minutes before i died? i'd be filled with such regret before i took my last breath."

"but you're willing to tell me this now and you're not going to die anytime soon."

he sighs.

"i haven't been eating chicken or meat, or anything..."

"yes, but you've been wearing leather" - and he laughed and said "we're at the top of the food chain" he excused me, "and yes, you're still a fine woman.

i cringed.

we left the vegetarian restaurant and the head-waiter, in his 60s, said:

"goodbye, sir... and thank you for your business, sir, being sucessful and stablished as you are... we like the frequency with which you dine here, sir..."

as we left the tips, he must've thought: "and we certainly like your money".

as i walked by he said "thank you too, dear". - i had pigtails on, tied with cords, and hippily smiled, but there was a day when i would've said something like:

"hey, dude, i could buy and sell this place - so kiss it!"

as i explained to him i got why the waitor acted like that, i said: "i too once thought that i was owed something... i too, once, thought that when proved wrong i lost, somehow. i too once thought that life was cruel."

"it's a cycle, really..." - and he posed - "do you think i'm withdrawing and guilt tripping you?"

"i think you're insensitive and i don't feel heard." and i said: "do you believe we are fundamentally judgemental? fundamentally evil?"

he said yes.

i said "i don't believe in revenge, in right or wrong, good or bad..."

he said "well, what about the man that i saw handcuffed in the emergency room bleeding, after beating his kid, and she threw a shoe in his head? i think what we did was wrong and i would've had a hard time feeling compassion for him."

i had to watch my tone for fear of having him feel judged.