We were enjoying an early dinner at Brax Landing, a fairly swanky restaurant overlooking the Saquatucket Harbor in Cape Cod, when a woman and a young boy were seated behind us.

A server approached them and asked for a drink order.  The woman ordered a drink for herself and a Shirley Temple for her son.

They began to chat, as mothers and 6-year-olds do.  But we didn’t eavesdrop.

Yet.

The drinks arrived, and once the server had left the table, I heard their glasses clink.  And then the woman says, (with a Boston accent), “Cheers to you buddy!  Congratulations on being a first grader!”

We silently picked up our own drinks and toasted as well.

Sometimes eavesdropping has its rewards.