Diner

"Yes, hi, I'll have the Alexander burger with the cream of chicken soup, thanks." I smile at the waitress because I know I'm bad at ordering. Dishes spill out of me and I say everything I can to avoid any questions about what I ordered. I exhale when she walks away, knowing that I have successfully requested food without sputtering and going to the unfortunate default "Uh yeah I'm ready, sorry. I'll have the... Just the cheeseburger, thanks." I always get a burger at diners, but when I know the name of the burger I feel less boring. Besides I don't like diners because of the burgers or the soup that comes with it. I like diners because of what is happening in the booth next to me. I'm seeing a play later tonight and it's fitting that my evening should start with an intense session of eavesdropping.
"I couldn't go to New York without getting you something. And I figured, that's a useful gift!"
"Oh wow! Cool! Hey thanks!" The smaller man is unwrapping his gift, which might be a bookmark, but I'm not sure. It has a tassel and it looks like it unwinds somehow. He seems to know and that's good enough for the gift-giver, the bigger man. The big guy is in an expensive-looking suit and he looks like he could be my optometrist's son with his big nose and ears and caring, low-set brow. His friendship with the small, high-school-English-teacher-type man seems strange based on appearances and this is part of why I'm intrigued by their conversation. As I sit sipping my coffee, staring out onto Clark Street through the window, my ears are fixated on the men's conversation.
"So while I was there I was putting my weapons on the stone bench thing there and he comes over and we're talking and I step away and I see him rearranging my katana and I was just like 'Hey! What the hell are you doing? You never touch another man's weapon!'" The bigger man said, looking to his friend for understanding. The disbelief was reciprocated with a chuckle into his hand and a shake of his head.
"Wow." The small man said in genuine amazement.
"You're telling me!" The bigger man said, satisfied by his friend's empathy.
Then something happened that took me completely by surprise. I had accepted that the bigger man probably taught martial arts or at least did something with swords (I knew what a katana was thanks to Mortal Kombat), but I figured his knowledge couldn't possibly delve into, say, the native tongue of the sword masters of the world, the Japanese. The two men began conversing in Japanese like immigrants who return to their native tongues in times of great emotion.
Before returning to English for my listening pleasure, the smaller man pulled out a notebook and said "Show me what you mean." The bigger man drew something on the pad and I caught a glimpse of it as he pointed to a drawing of two swords with different ends. One, referred to as a bo-ken I think, had a flat end and the other, called a bo-shen I think I heard, had an end resembling a more traditional sword to me. This drawing apparently made everything clear to the small man as he relaxed and they both returned to English.
My food came and until I was done I was hearing the conversation only in little snippets. I decided that the bigger man was a traveling sword master that competed in some way. The smaller man traveled far less I believe and may not compete, but certainly knows his Kendo (I picked up on this term repeatedly). Both men were married and this appeared to be a boys' night out situation. They repeatedly referred to their wives ("We can go with the girls").
The bigger man handed his friend a book called "This Is Kendo" towards the end of my meal. They both poured over it like kids over a comic book.
"See him? With the wooden leg? That's the guy!" Bigger man.
"No! Really? You met him?"
"Oh yeah. Wow look at his Jodan (fighting style?). I only hope my Jodan is half as... intense as his."
"No kidding."
The conversation went to family from there. The bigger man's family actually. The smaller man was a great listener. The bigger man was eager to be heard, really heard. We all want someone to share our passion with.
As their check came the bigger man asked if his friend had any place to be.
"No not really, no. You?"
"No I don't have to be anywhere until tomorrow afternoon. We can stay here until then. They'll serve us breakfast." The bigger man said, smiling. Both of them seemed almost sad that it was only a joke, that they couldn't stay there.
When they got up to leave the bigger man demonstrated one of his points from previously in the conversation. "Oh I see. Yeah okay got it." Said the smaller man genuinely enlightened.
The smaller man sang in Japanese as they walked out of the diner and his friend joined him.