I was in my usual coffee shop the other day when a guy with a very young boy began vacating an adjacent table. I had my laptop on and was going through my Twitter friends timeline, trying to tune out the surrounding commotion, when I heard a small voice to my right say, “Dad, is he a cowboy?”

The dad and I both laughed. His boy, who looked maybe 2 1/2, was talking about me because I was wearing a hat. The little guy was staring up at me, smiling.

“I’m not a cowboy,” I said.

“Then why are you wearing a cowboy hat?” he replied.

Not a cowboy hat

The thing is, it really isn’t a cowboy hat; more of a modified porkpie. But it’s not like the kid has ever been to a haberdashery, so any explanation would have been over his head. Plus he was such a delightful young lad!

“I just like my hat,” I explained.

“Oh,” he said.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“No,” said the little fucking brat.