The clientele and the employees at Kaiser Oakland are a true reflection of the ethnic and cultural diversity of this city. This brother was talking to the person in front of him while he was waiting in line at the pharmacy. The person to whom he was speaking, an elderly Korean woman, seemed polite but a little unsure. I tried not to eavesdrop, but he was speaking pretty loudly, and I couldn’t help put pick up the occasional word or phrase. The conversation was all over the place, from the pain in his shoulder to his workout regimen to professional basketball. I’m not sure she cared about any of what he was saying, but it seemed that she was choosing the mild inconvenience of pretending to be interested over the awkward discomfort of asking him to please shut up.

Ajuan Mance