ABSTRACT
Johanna wakes up the following day feeling rested and relaxed. The sun is shining outside the window and she feels like going for a walk to get to know her new neighborhood. She walks about three blocks and finds a beautiful park, full of flowers and shadowed alleys. Because it is Sunday, the park is full of people: families with children, couples, and others by themselves. At the end of the main alley, she finds a small area with benches and tables. Most benches are occupied by groups of people, except one, on which a girl sits alone. Imagining that the girl won’t mind, Johanna sits on the far end of the bench. She sits in the sun, closes her eyes, and just as she is almost relaxing, she hears the girl begin to talk to somebody on her mobile phone. The girl is apparently scheduling a meeting, or maybe asking the person at the other end of the line why she or he is late. Almost involuntarily, Johanna starts paying attention to the conversation. She is actually getting interested in the conversation, trying to imagine what has happened and who is at the other end of the line. At the same time, she looks around and sees that the man sitting at the bench right behind them has an annoyed look on his face. He is reading a book. “People always get annoyed with others talking on the phone in public spaces,” she thinks. But before Johanna is able to refocus on the girl’s conversation, the girl’s phone starts to ring! The girl, caught by surprise, doesn’t know what to do for a moment, but eventually answers the phone. While (now really) talking to the other remote person, she looks around, somewhat embarrassed, and walks away. Johanna starts laughing to herself: It is not the first time she has seen people fake a mobile phone conversation in a public space in order to show others they aren’t “alone.”
