Overconfidence

Or why you're always disappointed. 

On Marti Gras in New Orleans a couple of days ago, my wife and I were having a very nice meal at a Mediterranean place, when a woman came in and parked herself at the booth nearest the entrance.  She didn't order any food at the counter in the back but she did start a very loud phone call.  It was loud enough that I feel much more as if it was an intrusion by her, than eavesdropping by me--We were two booths away.

The woman had a toddler with her, in a stroller and was talking with her mom.  The upshot was that she wanted to be picked up.  She kept repeating, "I'm not going there, I was just there".  My thinking went along the lines:

1. What bearing on anything does your having been to place your mom wants to pick you up at have?  

2. Rather than repeat the same uninformative line, it might be better to explain why.  For instance:

    -That place is far away and I'm too tired to travel all the way back there.

    -That place is behind a bunch of roadblocks and you won't be able to get to it by car.

I think the same overconfidence, or perhaps entitlement that made the woman think it's okay to sit in a busy restaurant for 15 minutes, while arguing loudly and not purchasing anything, would lead her to expect her mom, the person she was asking a favor, to just trust that there was a good reason for not wanting to go back there.  I suspect her only reason was that she was just there--which isn't technically a reason of any kind, it's just an irrelevant fact.