It is 12:40 pm and I’m sitting in the Taco Bell on Lee Highway in Arlington.

I paid for a drink I didn’t even want. And drinking water out of a plastic cup, through a plastic straw, is gross. It’s interesting how a place like Taco Bell can bring so many different kinds of people together.

I’m also increasingly aware of each individual’s unique eating habits here. A couple sitting in front of me is noteworthy due to its female component, the girlfriend. She is pretty, but semi-plain, reeking of suburban consequences. She takes a mostly eaten taco out of her boyfriend’s hands and dips it in sauce, putting it directly back into his mouth. Close to the conclusion of their meal, she attempts to scrape up every last flavor remnant from the plate with her finger. Meanwhile, I’m trying all of the different Taco Bell sauces to find one that sticks. “Mild” is pretty lame and “fire roasted” slightly less so. I’ll stick with this one for the remainder of my Loco Taco.

I see a lot of people eating alone. I’m one of them.

An old man making a joke to a woman that didn’t quite hear him, ergo an awkward game of telephone takes place.

It’s pretty much packed now. I’ll dump out my water, replace it with a “real” drink and be on my way.

2:59pm at the Clarendon Barnes & Noble

“I would love to wear a suit and meet the president but that’s not the road I took in my life. I’m just a citizen. A really dirty one. I say horrible things. And I want the freedom to do that.”

–Louis C.K.