Joe and I ordered food from Versailles the other night. Versailles is a Cuban restaurant with an amazing garlic chicken dish big enough for two. I called in the order and hopped out to pick it up once we'd arrived. Joe parked the car, and waited for me.

It was pretty busy, and people were walking back and forth fairly quickly. The maitre'd told me my food would be out in just two minutes. I waited and meanwhile, a bald guy walks up and hangs out by the cash register. Time ticked on, and it seemed like it was taking a while. When I saw a guy from the kitchen leave a packaged dinner on the counter, I thought, "Maybe that's mine. Well, someone will be here soon, I'm sure."

But no one arrived soon, and the more I wondered if the dinner was mine, the more impatient I felt.

I decided to step closer to the cash register, so that when one of the guys walked by, he'd see me and ask if I needed help. They're very good about not ignoring you there, if you make yourself visible. But remember the bald man by the cash register? Yeah, he hadn't moved yet. And to make things worse, he started talking to me.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Fine," I said. Then I made the mistake of asking, "You?"

"I'm fine. Waiting for food?"

"Yes."

"Maybe that's your food right there."

"Maybe," I said, trying not to talk to him, but not feeling like being outright rude, either. I found him creepy. He seemed the type to make small talk with women he thinks he can pick up, which only made me want to roll my eyes. Or puke.

Then he said, lowering his voice, "Let me tell you something. It's the quiet people in this world who will ALWAYS get walked all over. You know what I'm saying? You look like the quiet type. Am I right?"

"I can be," I said. (I SO wish I'd said, "Only when strange men are talking to me!" Why do I always think of good responses an hour later??) I wasn't even looking at him anymore. Instead, I was looking around the room for the maitre'd.

"Look, watch," the bald guy said. Then he suddenly shouted, "HEY! SENOR!"

"I got it," I snapped at him with as much irritation in my voice as I could muster. I was so angry at the guy butting in and "saving me" that when the waiter came by and the bald man pointed him toward me, I could barely put my words together in a sentence. All I managed was, "Um, I had an order, a phone order? And I wanted to know--"

That's when the maitre'd suddenly swooped in with a smile, handing me a package, and said, "One chicken dinner! Here you are, ma'am, thank you for waiting!"

I felt like turning to that bald guy and yelling, "HA!" in his face. See? There was no need to be all demanding of the waitstaff. My food was on its way! I was glad I was wrong about the dinner on the counter being mine. It showed me that I can't always assume things. Because when I did think it was mine, I just felt all impatient and irritated, which could have been avoided if I trusted that the restaurant (which has never done me wrong, baby!) was just preparing my food in an orderly fashion on a busy night.

Also, I realized something about Mr. Baldy. He is a benevolent sexist! According to two of my psych classes, benevolent sexism is when men think highly of women, but they also believe women need to be helped by men because they couldn't possibly do anything of any importance on their own. God, I can't stand people like that. (By the way, women and men can be benevolent sexists towards women and/or men. It occurs most often in men towards women, though.)

Thing #2 about Baldy: He is WRONG. He's wrong about women in general - we do not need to be coddled like delicate little flowers, or saved by men from every situation we face. And he's wrong about quiet people. The quiet people of this world do NOT always get walked all over. Yes, I admit, I am a pretty quiet person. And sure, there are times I should have spoken up in my life and didn't. Looking back on a few of those times, I occasionally wish I'd behaved differently (telling Baldy off, for example). However, if I had, I wouldn't have learned the lessons I did. And I wouldn't be where am I today. And hey, I like where I am today.

In fact, I like my relatively calm and easy-going nature. I like that I'm laid-back and yes, quiet. Do you know what being quiet gets you? Appreciation from anyone who's ever had to deal with obnoxious, demanding assholes at their place of work. Teachers appreciate students who are quiet at the right times (and talkative at others; it's important to participate, afterall). Bosses like employees who do their jobs without a lot of bitching and moaning. I like that I'm not an uptight, whiny pain in the ass! And I'm sure others like that about me, too. Maybe what really matters is knowing when to be quiet and when to speak up. I mean, there's a balance in everything right?

Still, overall, I am a pretty quiet person, and I'd say, considering that I'm exactly where I'd like to be at this point in my life, and well on my way to attaining my career goals, that's pretty good evidence that being quiet is not a bad thing, in and of itself.

So, THERE, Baldy! Take that and cram it in your piehole. If anyone could learn a lesson from quiet folks, it's YOU!