6:22am

I arrived at our little local doughnut shop last Wednesday morning at 6:22am.

Parked next to me was a family in a Pontiac Aztek. The father, who was driving, exited the car and headed in for doughnuts. While shutting off my car I noted the design cues of the Aztek, and how Toyota must have been somewhat inspired by the ugly angular thing when they created the Prius.

It was early, and my brain was still in pre-coffee learning mode, so I let my eyes focus past the open window frames of the Aztek. The mom was in the front seat staring at her phone and smoking like a chimney. There were two daughters in the back seat, both focused on their phones, oblivious to the world outside of their Facebook bubble.

I yawned on the outside, and sighed on the inside. We're all guilty of zoning out, but it was only 6:22am.

Getting out of my car to walk inside I was greeted by the pungent aroma of the Marlboro Red cigarette the mom was smoking.

Few are they. They more attractive than a woman who's breath smells like a cowboy from the 1950's! -Don Giovanni

As I walked by her front window, the mother, still focused on the phone she held with one hand reached the cigarette out of her window and flicked the ash from the butt down the front of my pants and onto my shoes. I stopped as soon as she touched me so as not to bend her arm or burn my clothes on her cigarette, but she didn't seem to notice. She pulled the smelly thing back to her lips, never breaking eye contact with her cell phone. I stood next to her window for a few seconds audibly brushing off my pants, still nothing.

I walked inside the doughnut shop, got my order, and headed back out while the dad from the car stood waiting for something custom.

How can someone be so oblivious that she doesn't feel her arm bump into someone. She flicked her cigarette on my pants! This is weird. These doughnuts smell good. I want a doughnut. Doooooouuuuuughnuttttt. -My internal dialogue as I approached my car

I was almost past her front window again when I noticed that her cigarette was gone. She was now using both hands to hold her phone, still not breaking her gaze when I found the still lit butt of her cancer stick glowing on the hood of my car just below the windshield.

Huh? Really? First my pants, and now my car? What did I do to this woman?

I reached over and picked up the cigarette, then turned to face the woman. I leaned over just far enough to sit it on her hood just below the windshield. She didn't notice.

I stayed at level with her window and spoke for the first time during the whole thing, saying "You dropped this" as I sat the cigarette down on her car.

She was genuinely startled that there was a person there. She was genuinely offended that a perfect stranger could be so rude as to sit a lit cigarette on her hood. She looked at me, bewildered.

Before she had a chance to respond I ducked into my car and drove away. I didn't care for a response.

After all, it was only 6:29am.

A lot happened while she was staring at her phone. She offended a man by flicking her cigarette on his pants and didn't notice. She flicked the thing on to that same man's car. She only checked back into reality in time to be offended by my reaction to her behavior all over the course of about 7 minutes.

She lost 7 minutes in her car with her two daughters to a cigarette and a phone.

Look up sometime, folks. There are things to see.