We were the only ones in the fast-food type restaurant, and the clump of kids that came in had to sit in the booth right behind us. Not only that, there were about eight of them and only four of them could fit into the booth, so the rest of them pulled up chairs. One kid pulled up a chair and was sitting RIGHT NEXT to my booth seat, so close that, in fact, he had to move when we got up to leave. And they were loud, in a regular kid kind of way, so that John and I couldn’t even have a conversation, at least, not one that this group wouldn’t also hear.
I probably should have said something. At least, “Would you mind moving up a little so you’re not sitting with US?” but I think I was just a bit stunned. As a solution, I quickly finished up what I was eating (which had ceased to be an enjoyable experience) and we left.
I suppose it could simply be a cultural/familial thing. I was raised to believe that being considerate not to intrude on other people was a nice thing. (As a kid, I also would have wanted a table we could all fit at, and one as far from other people as possible. Go figure.) Other people seem to believe that being close together is a sign of niceness, rather than ‘distance’. Overall, I think the best thing for any of us is probably to be aware that there are differences, and not assume either way, but to just PAY ATTENTION. [This has been a public service announcement/rant. You may now continue with your regularly scheduled program.]