That's just messy.

So this past week I was out with my friends after leaving a show. We were standing around, flapping our gums a bit before we all went our separate ways, and during the course of our conversation, a couple walked out of the venue. The guy turned to the right and started down the block, and the girl yelled behind him "where are you going?" Now, let me try to describe this one. This was not the "where are you going?" that you get when you start down the wrong direction on the street because you've forgotten where you parked your car. Rather, this was the "where are you going?" that would be asked of someone fleeing a crime scene or the mafia. It was full of desperation, full of sadness, and, to a certain degree, full of anger.

The guy turns around, and he and the girl begin walking up the street in the opposite direction of the way he'd originally headed. My friends and I all sort of shrug at each other, cock our heads to the side, and let the two slide from our vision as we continue chewing the fat. A short time elapses, and the next thing I know, I look up the block at some sudden movement in the direction of the couple, and the girl, seemingly out of nowhere, kicks the chain link fence that lines the sidewalk on which they are talking. Suddenly, I realize they have been having a rather intense "conversation" for ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Then, in that blink of an eye, it all came together: the yell, the kick, the length of the conversation - it all made sense: they were having a messy public breakup. What followed made it obvious; there was crying, shooing away the comforting of the guy, sitting on the curb, and when I left, she had moved to a bus stop island, and was sort of crumpled into a ball and crying.

So here is where I have to get into a little analysis: see, despite my crabby and generally sarcastic exterior, I tend to be really altruistic. When I see someone in a bad situation, much like this young lady was, it is my natural imperative to try to help them as best I can. However, there wasn't much I could do here: as I was leaving, at least I took specific notice to make sure that the guy she was with was sticking around, and making sure that whatever happened, she would at least make it home safely. And it's moments like these that I always feel torn - as a generally good fella and someone who tries to do his best to his fellow people, I always feel like I should step into situations like that and prove that in the end I am, in fact, a mensch.

This is not the first time I've been in a similar situation, and I have had the same thing happen almost every time: I see some situation like that, but something always stops me at the last minute from going over there and helping the person, and it makes me wonder, am I really that great of a guy? Can my intentions to want to help someone who I can see is clearly in a tough spot really mean much of anything if I don't step up and offer them a shoulder to cry on? Or have I just become desensitized by San Francisco - the odds are pretty even that for every time I help someone there are just as many chances of them being a nice person who really just needs someone for them as there are chances of them being either violent or crazy.

Also, I've always been curious about how these weird public breakups happen. These kids were at the same show that we were at; everyone seemed to have a good time, the bands were all talented and played solid sets. Did this guy just decide to dump this girl mid-show? Did he randomly start making out with some girl only to get caught by this poor heartbroken young woman? Did they break up and decide to still go to the show with the hopes they could make it through the evening and still be civil? Based on my one experience of something vaguely resembling a public breakup, I went out to a movie with a girl, knowing I was going to have 'the talk' with her afterwards. But hey, I was in high school and I sure as hell didn't know any better. Did this guy make the same mistake, or did something happen? Either way, the whole concept of the messy public breakup always fascinates me. Is there anything quite as awkward? Plus, isn't the whole idea of breaking up with someone in public so that they can't make a scene? Doesn't this negate the whole concept of breaking up with someone in public? Moreover, what in the hell might happen if they broke up in a more private, secluded area?

Just some things to keep in the back of your head as we make our way through the week.

Go Obama.