Your food arrives, and the waitress stops by and asks “how is it so far?” With your mouth full, you give her a mute thumbs up. And she says she’s been curious about it. And that seems a little odd, but maybe she hasn’t tried all the items on the menu yet. And she says that NPR did a half hour show about it last week. And you’re mystified, because this food is good, but it’s not half an hour on NPR good. And you say you had no idea, and you can’t imagine how they could do a whole show on it. What show was it? She says it was Think with Krys Boyd, and your eyes narrow. Because even though Krys Boyd is local and occasionally covers local issues, she’s not apt to discuss the menus of local restaurants – even quirky vegan diners like this one. And you politely say “I’ve listened to Think, but I didn’t think she did those kinds of shows” And the waitress says “those are the kinds of shows she does most often.” And though her mouth is smiling, her eyes betray the disappointed gaze of someone who is realizing that the seemingly smart person they are speaking to is actually a dumb ass.

Then she is called away. So you return to your chips and cashew-based queso. And to the book you are reading. And then it dawns on you: she wasn’t talking about the cashew-based queso. And you feel like a moron. And not for the first or last time, you curse the ambiguity of pronouns.