Thanks, now I remember. I seem to recall that the man (with the headphones) was married to a woman of average intelligence and was the object of her pity and regret because of the impact of his “disability” on their lives.
To be honest, I don’t remember much more; to include whether or not I actually finished the story. I’m going to look it up and read it (again?).
Just search for “Harrison Bergeron”; there’s a pdf you can read for free.
If you had finished the story back then, you’d probably remember it.