The laundromat is usually a pretty boring place. The dull hum of the machines drowns out the loud flatulence of stinky foreigners and homeless people trying to figure out how to put quarters into the machines. I try to keep my time there minimal.
The other day while waiting for my clothes to dry, I observed two different Filipino families also doing their laundry. One family consisted of a father with his 2 sons. The older boy looked like he was of middle school age while the younger boy was in lower elementary school. The other family consisted of a woman with her daughter who, to me, looked like she was in middle school as well.
The man struck up a conversation with the woman for a while, talking about their families and what they do. During the conversation, the older son of the man crept closer to eavesdrop, leaving his younger brother behind at a bench next to their machine. The man asked the woman what school her daughter goes to and she told him that she attends Fremont High School. In return, the woman asked the man what school his son goes to. He told her that the older son attends Sunnyvale Middle School.
Their conversation continued on in such a monotonous fashion that I began to drift back to the hum of the washing machines when suddenly, the older boy walked back over to his younger brother and sat down next to him. “Well?” Asked the younger boy.
“Dude she’s in high school….it’s never gonna happen!” Exclaimed the older boy.
That’s probably the most entertainment I’ve ever had while sitting at a laundromat.
