Differently Seen

"I got rain plans

Written in these storms

When I throw it

Tell me where to go"

 - Rain Plans, by Israel Nash

I'm sitting outside of Houndstooth Coffee in The Domain, where a friend works. Because of Covid-19, the indoor seating is closed; not enough baristas to religiously disinfect the place and also make coffee. I ordered, visited, then sat at one of the tables under the slight edge of the roof, just dry enough despite the rain shower earlier. 

Two men come and sit at the table behind me. It's identical to the one I'm occupying: white metal in an oval which is unusually elongated, stretched until it's pill-shaped. One of the men says, "This would be a good table for breaking up with someone. So much space."

The other man replies, "It's also a great social distancing table." Though my back is to them, I can imagine him miming out several feet of space, the invisible bubbles we now inhabit in public. 

"Oh, I know," remarks the first man, "It's designed so two people can both use their laptops and not be bumped right up against each other."

The other man gives a "Mmm," in likely agreement. 

What struck me about the conversation was the curious observations not only about the design of the table but about its use in society. Table possibly built to accommodate technology, and now great for the current climate of social distancing. But especially, that the first guy would immediately picture a breakup: two people at either end of the table, so that even if one or both of them were leaning forward, still a gap would exist between them. Physical space embodying emotional space. 

Not long after, I slid my notebook and umbrella into my bag and left. The umbrella had broken; the handle would only open a short way, and I had to keep a lever firmly pressed so it wouldn't close on my head. It made for an awkward-feeling walk to the coffee shop, but it kept me dry. At home, I throw it away. Someone else might have been able to tinker with it and fix it, but personally, the thought didn't even cross my mind. Instead, I was thinking about the design of tables and umbrellas and about how even the best plans can't account for errors in users and judgement. Some things are repurposed and some things break, and so much can depend on simple points of view.