The restaurant was filled with booths spiraling about the room with a simple open space in the center. No one knows why that space was open; some say the architect intended to put a fountain there; others claimed it was for live music. But it was wasted space.
It was a busy Friday evening, and the manager hated to see that space wasted. The restaurant brimmed out the door with anxious patrons, each waiting for a seat. Seats were so scarce that the manager placed one additional table in that open space.
No one wanted to take that table. It was in the center; it was the spectacle table. Because of its central placement, everyone in the restaurant could see the table. Everyone knew that table would be the main conversation course for everyone else.
A man pushed his way to the front of the line and placed his name on the waiting list. He began to turn and walk away, but he noticed the open table in the center. He asked the hostess, “What about that table over there? Is there any way we could sit there?”
Annoyed, she blurted back, “You sure you want that table?”
“Yes, oh yes. We’d like to go ahead and have dinner.”
The man and his family were soon seated at the table. Immediately they noticed the scores of eyes now parked on them. The restaurant noise faded into a gentle whirl of whispered comments, comments that were likely about the unlucky family in the center.
The man began to become upset. He couldn’t believe the nerve of the people in the restaurant. “How dare they look at us and talk about us.”
His rage slowly increased as the night progressed. They ordered their drinks and entrees, and you could practically see steam rising from his head. He dreamed of standing on the table and asking the restaurant why they were all talking about him.
Sure, he hadn’t actually heard a single word spoken about him, but he knew…he just knew that was what everyone was talking about. And his wife and kids didn’t miss a beat either: they dropped comments and were just as irritated as the man.
Finally the man couldn’t stand it any longer. He asked for the manager.
The manager came by the table and apologized for their inconvenience. Unfazed, the man tore into the manager about their horrible experience. The manager stood in silence, taking in everything the man had to say. After several minutes of caustic complaining, he ran out of breath and finished.
The manager apologized once again, and asked if he could offer an explanation. The man agreed.
“Be careful of the things you complain about. Life is often determined by the choices you make and inferences you take. And sometimes the noise that seems to be against you is no more than noise.
“And please, let me take care of your dinner tonight.”
And with that, the manager walked away.