“That guy keeps looking,” she says, and then she stays right where he can keep looking.

That is where the complaint gets interesting. If the stare truly bothers her, she has options. She can move seats, pull on a jacket, turn her chair, stand behind her husband, block the view with a menu. Instead, nothing changes except the fact that now everyone at the table knows.

Sometimes she waits after saying it. Just a beat. Long enough to see if her husband checks, if her friend smirks, if the guy is still looking. The complaint becomes part of the show.