Curse of the Pink Shirt 2

* Today I went to campus to meet my brothers and sister-in-law for lunch. I really didn't think much about what I was wearing--pink shirt with a white skirt because I was going to the temple later.

Shortly after I sat down at a table in the Cougareat, a fiftyish woman walked up to me, "Do you mind if I sit here? I hate to take up a whole table for myself."

I hesitated, thinking of the three people who would be joining me at the four-person table. "Well, I'm waiting for some people, but they won't be here for awhile. So you're welcome to eat here."

So she sat down and ate her lunch. When my brother Adam and his wife, Bonnie, showed up, the woman offered to move to a different table. But I told her she could stay because we preferred to sit further back, and I had only sat at this table near the walkway in order to watch for my family--which is true.

While Adam and Bonnie waited in line for their food, I snagged another table and started reading letters to the editor in the Daily Universe. But after a few minutes, a random girl sat down across from me and started rummaging through her backpack.

"Um, are you just stopping for a second to find something in your bag? Or are you planning to stay?" I asked.

"What?"

"I'm kind of waiting for three other people, so if you're planning to stay and eat . . ."

She left.

After that incident, I put my bag up on the table to make it look more occupied. Then I pulled out my water bottle and some food and spread everything out on the table, so that no one would mistake my saved seats for available ones.

The Cougareat was not that crowded today, but something about the pink shirt makes people think it's a good idea to sit by me.

(And when I went to the temple, still wearing the pink, two different older gentlemen went out of their way to greet me. Not bad, but still a little weird.)

I really have to be more careful about my wardrobe choices. *