I just hefted my garbage sack and threw in the soiled plates and cups, returned her smile, and went on to the next table wondering what they'd think if I told them I had a doctorate; they'd probably have a good chuckle at the irony, I know I do.
I love being an incognito doctor, posing as just another stay-at-home mom or the quiet little wife of a small town pastor. For some reason people equate my career with my identity, as if I have no interests or personality outside of the office. They can't fathom that I'd rather talk about anything else than their cat's chronic vomiting issues. Do plumbers or engineers or brain surgeons have this problem? It's not that I don't like cats, or my job, it's just that I have a life outside of work and would much rather talk about other things, like just about anybody else whose work is not their life and vice versa. So I pretend to be a nobody, just another Joe-Smoe, completely uninteresting and dull. But it is rather priceless to watch the surprise when someone discovers my secret, at which point I flee the room as they approach at the run to get my opinion on corn in dog food.
I completely understand why Super Man chose the unobtrusive Clark Kent as his alter ego. He couldn't just be himself as the superhero, all they saw was the man in the cape, whereas Clark could actually have a life, relationships, and talk to people without them getting all weird. I wonder if celebrities wish they could doff the fame and just be nobody for a while? We're all trying to be celebrities on social media, to make our lives interesting or attractive to others, but why? Who cares? If you enjoy your life, isn't that enough? Do you really want people to gawk and gape and stare as if you were some sort of sideshow attraction? As for me, I'll just don my Clark Kent glasses and vanish happily into the milling crowd. Are you done with that plate?
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