A good listener

Lovely Friday morning. I take a walk to sit at a cafe and enjoy some coffee. There is no one here as it is early, other than this dude. Tall, white, and to use medical terms "well groomed, in no apparent distress". I sit behind him. Behind him! He turns around to first comment on his pastry. Then, breaks into the story...we're sitting by the windows. The windows are open, which means that the traffic outside is preventing me from hearing about two thirds of what he is saying. Not that I care to begin with. I take out a book, my phone, I am fully engaged in my reading materials, something, anything. That apparently is no longer the social sign of "please don't bother me". So I am forced to somewhat politely listen. "Some guy, owns billions, mansion in the north shore, totally screwed me. I worked for him. He took me in, his own family, hyper sexual, you have to be if you have 9 kids. Damn Catholics, the Italians kill everyone, the Greeks want him dead, so do the Italians. What do you do? Oh you're a doctor. That's amazing, but also probably sad at times, you do the best you can. I was victimized, hurt, almost died and all because if this guy." I can't hear anything. "He turned on me, wanted me dead. I'm going to report this, I mean this shit doesn't happen, but it's a like a news story. Shit, reporters can make money of this story. I should do triathlons, I am pretty athletic. I ended up on hands and knees, with all the hospital bills, this was after my first child was born. I mean who does that after their own child is born, promises a house, gives me money and then screws me over." I am trying to write things, not paying attention, doesn't matter. "His own child, raped upstairs as I'm entertaining him in Christmas. Something you have to let go of the pride, pride gets in the way." Truck outside, bus outside, I'm literally mimicking his own animation because I can't hear. "But I mean he tried to kill me. I like to sell cars. They think I'm in Maine. I worked my way back, worked part time and all, marketing and sales. You can sell cars on eBay. The power of the internet. Man, I really like Gold Coast, you can drive this beautiful convertible." Make it stop! "And the police won't do anything about this guy, I mean when I went to them, they arrested me. I am a victim of police brutality, I was hand-cuffed!!" I can feel my own anxiety building up, this is terribly socially awkward. "I love that area by the united center. Are you a Blackhawks fan? Yeah it's nice, I wonder how many people go missing in Chicago." I take out my iPad and start typing what he's saying. "You know how they killed people, these Italians? All these meat factories. I mean, who comes out in the middle of night driving a truck and wearing latex gloves. And they take the gloves off afterwards. Look at that beautiful machine!" There is a guy who sits at the table next to us and keeps shooting me confused looks. Yes, thank you, super weird! "My own mother died. And I don't want him hurting me. But they're going to kill him, they are. They think I'm in Maine." I can't just get up and leave right? I haven't even finished my coffee! Oh my god make it stop! "I made all this money with suction cups, you wouldn't leave your family would you? I mean they drugged this girl, seizures, she's been misdiagnosed, they're all liable! I want to go to Greece, maybe next year, and visit that place where "300" happened. Sick asshole, his own fucking blood line!" What about me screams 'talk to me'?? What is happening?? "Man, look at this cheesecake, looks just like the picture. I biked all the way down California, and all I could feel was like those boys in Iraq, like someone is going to shoot at you. I mean it is crazy, this lady came to my house, searching, and I knew she came back again the next day, just went around the other way. I mean, she is a sexual predator." I can't see the tv screen from this angle, but apparently me looking back and forth for the screen is not an indication to stop talking, why won't he stop talking?? This is what Asperger's must feel like: complete and total social anxiety. "I'm going to get a bird, I think I should get a bird, a talking bird. Are you Greek? I'm English and French. The French are great ice skaters. I felt like I was in a different country because of their accents, it was the most bizarre thing I've seen in my life." Why won't he leave?? How do I get out of this tangential ramble?? "I think I'm going to buy a hat today. They didn't want us to win, they called offsides but we should have won the cup again. You don't see any arcades anymore. Wouldn't it be fun to see pinball in Greektown? I mean, my life is really fucked, don't you think it's fucked?? If you're ever wheezing, go to navy pier, to the botanical gardens, to escape the smog. Fireworks are on Wednesday. Maine is beautiful. It's all about inheritance nowadays, it's Betty Davis' last movie, and that's hard to do with a small hook like that. Well, thanks for listening." And just like that, he's gone. Gone. So much for quiet coffee. Sent from my iPad