Message From Space | by Anonymous
I was at a coffee shop playing tabletop games with a friend when you walked by. “Are you going to do that all day?” you hissed. “You’re not supposed to do that here.” Look: I don’t have to go to coffee shops to play games with friends. I could’ve gone to my buddy’s place. He has coffee, and I would’ve saved money and been spared lectures from crabby strangers (that’s you BTW). But you know what? I like being out in public spaces. I also like supporting local coffee shops. Besides, the staff seemed happy to have our business and tips.
That said, I wasn’t very nice. “We’ll probably just be here for an hour or two, is that all right with you?” I asked sarcastically. I should’ve remembered that anyone who gets angry at two strangers playing games isn’t a happy person. As the saying goes, “we’re all fighting our own battles”, and I guess yours made you a jerk. That can’t be fun. Whatever it is that’s hurting you and making you rude to people you don’t know, I hope it gets better. I’m genuinely sorry I didn’t have patience with you. Life’s too short to be mean.
WHAT IS THIS, A HUG PARTY? Message From Space is an open forum for Planet S readers to anonymously share their petty rants, workplace gripes, romantic woes and pathetic apologies to crabby strangers who don’t deserve them. E-mail your submission to editor@planetsmag.com (type MESSAGE FROM SPACE in the subject field). Change everyone’s names and identifying details. Submissions must be 100–200 words. No loitering!