A chance encounter

Last night I ventured to the Galleria for dinner. I knew I was going to pay too much but I was in the mood to people watch and that was the place to go.

By luck, I was seated next to a very charming British couple- Pat and Ray. I was eaves-dropping as their waitress told them that their food would be there soon. They misunderstood what she had to say and I translated for them. This little exchange ended up then becoming a 3-hour conversation. We talked about everything-family, sports, politics (imagine, me talking politics).

Misconception #1- National healthcare is not as good as private healthcare- I could tell by talking to these people that they had been very successful in their careers. We started talking about national healthcare ( you know, the one that so many Americans seem to think is the answer) They informed me that there are so many little "catches" that they pay for private healthcare so that:
-they have access to better care
- can have it done much faster
- to ensure that they have the necessary coverage
The stories they were telling me where absolutely mind-blowing in terms of what is/isn't covered and how it works. They were in Milan celebrating Pat's 70th birthday (she didn't look a day over 50) She was told by the NHS that she was too old to be covered under the National plan and had to have private insurance. Hmm! Seems we better do so more investigating!

Misconception #2- The English aren't warm people. As mentioned above, we chatted for 3 hours. It was a truly lovely time. Upon departure, I reached out to shake Ray's hand. He grabbed my hand, gave me a big hug and kiss. Pat did likewise. They were so incredibly kind. I will never forget our dinner.

So, the night started out with Pat & Ray not understanding the Italian waitress and I was able to clear things up the and ended with Pat & Ray enlightening me in so many ways.