awesome new bus conversation

This just happened on my way home and I could not wait (could.not.wait.) to report in.

Two Target employees, a young woman and a young man, board the bus. The young woman sits directly behind me. The guy asks her, in a kinda joking-but-not-really way whether it's cool if he sits with her. She says okay, but then goes on to totally shut him down, meeting all his conversational attempts with either one word answers or barely veiled sarcasm, the way young women will do when they're pissed at a guy. NOT THAT I'D KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. Ahem.

He catches on. "Are you mad? C'mon. Talk to me."

She says something quiet that I can't quite catch.

He says, "I just think the age thing will be a problem. Don't you?"

"No."

"It's ten years. When you're thirty, will you want to be with someone who's 40?"

"I don't see the difference. I'm twenty now and I want to be with someone who's thirty." Which, score one for her, because really, as we all know, the age difference becomes less, not more, important as you age. Anyway, at this point, I *think* I've got this all figured out: she's mad because he's suggesting her relationship isn't gonna work out, and he's suggesting her relationship isn't gonna work out because he totally wants in her pants. I am so totally wrong.

"Well, what do you want? What do you want to happen?" he asks.

And she says in a very quiet, very sad voice, "I just want to stay with you."

My heart breaks a little for her.

Oh, honey, I want to tell her, don't be so sad. This loser is 30? He sounds like a not very bright or mature 22 year old, frankly. And if you want an older man, I'm sure you could probably find one who has a more promising career than, y'know, working the register at the Tarzhay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But we were at my stop and I really don't dispense advice to the lovelorn unless asked.

"I just want to stay with you." Awwwwwww. It's killing me.

xoxo