The stranger's note said the woman was being too loud
15:52, 15 Jan 2026Updated 15:52, 15 Jan 2026
A teacher was left mortified after a stranger handed her a handwritten note in a café, complaining that she was speaking so loudly they were forced to leave.
Paulina, who declined to provide her surname, was having an Americano at a coffee shop in Hammersmith, West London, when the awkward encounter took place. The 32-year-old was chatting with a colleague when an elderly woman approached their table and placed the note down, announcing it was "for you".
Written in green ink on a scrap of paper, the two-sided message stated: "Hi, I don't know if you are aware; your voice, volume of, has been overwhelming to us. We have been unable to have a conversation as we cannot hear each other. However, we have heard every word of your conversation – we now know the names of your cats. This is a space for more than yourself and unfortunately we have had to leave. Something to think about."
Paulina said: "I was, of course, mortified, as everyone would be, I think. It's like a nightmare situation." Despite the embarrassment, she's managed to find humour in the incident.
She added: "It's really funny, some people said it sounds like a threat – 'I know the name of your cats'. It was a small café, very small – the size of the average living room in a semi-detached house. There were people in the corner. Some people said: 'were they not giving you death stares?' No, I believe they weren't talking when I came in. I was meeting a co-worker, we were just chatting. I think that was the only part of the conversation I was loud for."
Paulina continued: "I'm actually a teacher, so my theory is I was still in teacher mode with my voice not being quite an indoor voice, I do reflect on myself as well. It's OK to let someone know if they're being disruptive – for example, parents letting children play really loud sounds on their tablets, and I know for them it's probably white noise."
She added: "Maybe they were afraid to approach me, but I don't think I'm a threatening person. The content of our conversation was about cats and then we were just chatting about work, it wasn't like a gossip session or anything like that."
When describing the individual who passed her the note, Paulina remarked: "I think they looked like the type of person you'd expect to have this kind of handwriting – an older British lady. Some people said the cursive looked American, but I think the content is more British."
The South East London resident, who grew up in Poland, explained that the café owner – whose establishment she prefers not to identify – was left bewildered by what happened.
She recalled: "The owner came up to our table asking 'do you know those people?' I did want to ask him 'was I really loud', but that puts him in a really awkward situation, he wouldn't want to say it. But he volunteered that information – he seemed really shocked. He was working on his laptop and he said he didn't even hear us. It was very strange."
Despite her experience, Paulina, who previously lived in Liverpool with her husband, shares that she has had plenty of positive encounters with people in the capital.
She recounted: "Even on the day when I got the note, I was looking at the Tube map and a lady approached me asking 'hey, do you know where you're going?' I've had so much positivity from this city, so I really don't want it to sound like I just moved to London and hate it. I really don't subscribe to the 'rude Londoner' experience, I think people are really, really lovely and we do feel welcome in the city."
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