Airport Security
I arrived at the disembarkation and airport security at the same time as an American/German couple.
They seemed to be the same age but the American woman repeatedly spoke to her partner as though he was an imbecile. Offering countless pieces of superfluous advice as they were organizing their bags before passing through the x-ray machine. Finally she looked at me and asked "What about liquids? Do we have to take them out?" I replied in the affirmative.
We kind of danced around each other. Sometimes I was behind them, and then they would get caught up in some little organizational drama and I would pass them. Maybe because she would be asked to remove her shoes or he would have to remove his belt. Sometimes I was inbetween the two of them.
Their bags went through security ahead of mine but I walked through ahead of them so I had to wait for my bag to come out after theirs. By this time the American woman was beside me. She was muttering about whose bag belonged to whom. Then she was doing the same with the laptop computer until between them they realized one was missing. Without even looking any further she began claiming in a loud voice that one of their computers had been stolen!
After a moment the poor German guy realized he had left it behind and returned through security to send it through the x-ray.
I was curious to know whether the German guy is really so incompetent and incapable of looking after himself that his companion feels the need to speak to him like a child or has her attitude become a self-filling prophecy and he now behaves in a way that affirms his partner's behaviors.