Joe as "Miss Manners"

We went out to lunch as a family to a sit down restaurant on Sunday.  This isn't something we do often.  We go grab fast food and we are carryout pros, but all four of us going out to eat is just something that doesn't usually happen. 

We didn't go anywhere fancy -- just a sports bar/restaurant that we had tried before.  There were no local games on TV and the place was pretty much empty which is how we prefer it.

Alan was doing his usual "happy noises", we had gotten our food and it was turning into an enjoyable outing.  Alan decided he had eaten all the fries he was going to for this visit and so he began his "clean up" which is basically him transferring his fries to another plate so he can get the last bit of salt off his plate.  This is usually accompanied by a "no" or two.

Joe sighed (that exasperated sigh that only a teenager can do) and said "He really shouldn't talk that loud!"  Really?  This from the kid that stage whispers loud enough in church for people 3 rows away from us to contribute to the conversation? (OK, not really, but he isn't quiet by any stretch of the imagination!)

Alan's "no" wasn't that loud and we were in a noisy place.  We just pointed out to Joe that Alan doesn't have a lot of words and he wasn't yelling and we thought it was fine.

"Well, I just don't think he should do that.  It is sort of rude."  OK.  The king of etiquette has spoken. 

Finally it is time to leave and we are collecting our things and Joe says in his normal dulcet tone, "Just a second I have some ear wax I need to clean out of my ear." 

Clearly he and his brother are subject to different rules.