Someone said;
“Suspicion is far more to be wrong than right; more often than just. It is no friend to virtue, and always an enemy to happiness.”
We’ve become a suspicious lot. There is so much suspicion hovering over us that for most times the hearts are never fully open even about things you can see for yourself. Every comment is open for suspicion. I couldn’t say how we have become so suspicious of many things. It’s really hard to find things we could take for granted.
Take for example you are at some restaurant to have what you expect would be a good sumptuous meal. Now, one thing about our restaurants and dining places, at least most of them, is that once they put your order on the table they return only to hit you with the bill. There are seldom those comforting moments where they come and ask you if everything was all right. That wouldn’t have added any taste to the meal; but the fact they offer such good wishes it gives you that they really cared about their customers. Say while you’re alien to such wishes from waiters or their managers, the well wish just drops out of the thin air. A smiling waitress appears and wishes you;
“Enjoy your meal.”
Now in normal circumstances because she’ll a damn pretty lady the first secret thought reaction might be “I’ve to gather the courage to ask for her number. But that always doesn’t come. Over the years you’ve been dining in many places and nowhere did they wish you to enjoy your meal. In fact in many crowded places you felt that they prayed for you to vacate your table fast even before you’re few mouthfuls into your meal so other customers would use it. So these days the first nagging thoughts that might hit you’re not about cell numbers or Instagram addresses. It’s about why and how a complete stranger wishes you to enjoy your meal .
Did she say ‘Enjoy our meal?’ Why did she say that? What’s it to her whether I enjoy my meal or not!” The suspicions gens are all over you. “Did they mess with my meal? Why did she tell me to enjoy it! What was I supposed to be? Something must be cooking that kitchen of theirs! I wish I knew who the chef who prepared your order was!
If you think such things would never happen then you’ve been missing much. Several months back these three friends of mine were in one those trendy restaurants. Another group held the table by their side. The two orders came at the same time by different waitresses. But the waitresses mix things and put the wrong orders on both tables. However, they realize their mistakes soon and put the orders where they should have been in the first place. My friends say that they never had second thoughts about the incident as weirder things are happening every now and then. But the other group wasn’t as accommodating and had other ideas.
Now, as my friends concluded, the three guys in the other group looked like they in fact were from another era, a highly modernized era where the rest of humanity hasn’t yet arrived. Especially from the way they talked and acted it was obvious they were calling attentions to themselves.
Well they indeed caught attention in ways they probably didn’t imagine. One of them summons the head waiter who was loitering around and demanded to know why the wrong order was set on their table in the first place. The head waiter aware of what happened and behaving professionally apologizes and says sometimes such things happen as the waiters and waitresses are under heavy pressure because of work load. It was an explanation that didn’t delight the group. They in fact stared at my friends as if they had something to do with what was happening. My friends said they laughed it away.
Meanwhile, the headwaiter probably aware of the promotional damage such public arguments could generate, offered to have new dishes freshly prepared and take back those on the table. That didn’t satisfy the three. They throw around all kinds of expletives and just walk out without. Of course they practically didn’t touch.
Now my friends were wondering how guys who looked reasonable as reasonable could be act in such highly unimpressive manner in public. It was indeed a very strange incident. The innocent explanation is that the guys must have thought there was some real tampering with their order. No one knows their back stories; but that there were some serious back stories was evident.
Weren’t you supposed to feel comfortable when they wish you to enjoy your meal? Well, hmm…. When that comfort doesn’t materialize it means there are some serious issues in play. Not always and not many of us. Look such things are not very coming. In fact the waitress who serve you the meal has her face so contorted you might feel it has something to do with you! Suspicion! Suspicion! Rudeness!
Elvis Presley had this piece entitled ‘Suspicion’ where he sings;
Suspicion torments my heart
Suspicion keeps us apart
Suspicion why torture me
He goes on…
Every time you kiss me, I’m still not certain that you love me
Every time you hold me, I’m still not certain that you care
Though you keep on say you really, really, really love me
Do you speak the same words to someone else when I’m not there?
Believe me, there are very few things which ruin your day as much as untamed, rampant, 24/7 suspicion does!
How about this quote I fished out from the net.
“Suspicion always haunts a guilty mind.” really. Is that a given truth or imaginary scenery of someone who must have a lot model with suspicion? But while the generalization might be a little too much one thing is sure; there wouldn’t be much ‘breaking news’ in the fact that those of us laden with much guilt must probably be among the most suspicious of humanity.
One line from the Elvis piece really hits home in the most convincing of ways;
“Suspicion keeps us apart”
BY EPHREM ENDALE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 4 FEBRUARY 2024