Mia: (reaches for the used plates) Okay, I’ll clear these so we have space for dessert.
Jon: (eyes widening) Hoy! Don’t clear the table yet. I’m still eating!
Mia: You literally have two bites left.
Jon: Exactly. If you clear the table while I’m still eating, I’ll end up lonely forever. Alam mo naman ’yan—last diner curse.
Mia: (laughs) Jon, that’s not a curse, that’s a chore-avoidance technique invented by lazy titos.
Jon: Hindi ah! My Lola swore by it. She said her cousin’s friend’s neighbor started clearing the table early, and the last guy eating stayed single until 50.
Mia: Jon… maybe he stayed single because he wasn’t ready for a relationship, not because someone cleaned up a plate early.
Jon: Still! Why risk it? Life is already hard. Imagine adding “doomed to loneliness” to the list.
Mia: But think about it scientifically. There’s no mechanism—zero, nada—that connects plate clearing to someone’s romantic future. Unless the universe is so bored that it tracks who picks up dishes at what time.
Jon: Maybe it does! The universe is mysterious.
Mia: Not that mysterious. If plate clearing affected destiny, restaurants would have the highest number of lonely people. Waiters clear tables while customers are still chewing half the time.
Jon: (pauses) Hmm. I never thought of that. But maybe the superstition only applies at home?
Mia: Ah yes, the universe has a “home mode” and “restaurant mode.” Very logical.
Jon: Okay fine, you’re teasing me. But honestly, these beliefs give me comfort. It’s like following tradition, you know? Makes me feel connected to my family.
Mia: And that part, I respect. Traditions can be comforting. But you don’t need to fear loneliness just because someone washes a plate early. If that were true, I’d be married by now—my family never waits for me to finish eating. They clear the table as soon as I put down my spoon.
Jon: Maybe that’s why you’re still single.
Mia: (throws a tissue at him) Rude! And scientifically inaccurate.
Jon: (laughs) Okay, okay. Maybe you’re right. But can you just… not clear the table until I’m done? For my peace of mind?
Mia: So it’s not about destiny—just anxiety?
Jon: Exactly. Loneliness I can fight. Anxiety? Harder.
Mia: Fine, deal. I’ll wait. But in return, you have to admit—just a little—that the superstition has no real evidence.
Jon: (sighs dramatically) Fiiine. There’s no scientific proof. Happy?
Mia: Very. Now finish your food so I can get the mango float. If you make me wait too long, I’ll be the lonely one.
Jon: Okay, okay! For mango float, I will chew faster.
Science Vs Superstition 
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