Although I like to think of myself as a loving wife, mom, and beeba, I’m really not the friendliest of people. Sure I have a few close friends but it is a small circle. I don’t have a smiley face. In repose I’m sort of neutral. But I am the one that strangers love to talk to. And I ‘m not just talking about asking directions although everywhere I go (even Europe) people are compelled to ask me directions. I’m talking about random people coming up and talking to me.
This especially happens in stores. I can be looking at something and someone will come up and comment on the item. Or standing in line. All the time while standing in line. I’ll give an example from last week. I am at Costco. The line is long as it always is at Costco. The woman in front of me finds that she has an overwhelming urge to talk to me. She comments on the length of the line. I make some non-commital response. She then is still in my talk-to-me aura and rants a bit about it. I make a second non-commital response. Now she is at the checkout. But she can’t escape my force field. She must talk to me some more. “Look I got this Erector Set for my grandson. It’s for Christmas.” I smile. “You know it’s hard to find these.” I say, “Well, you are really ready ahead of time.” Big mistake. My talking back is just overwhelming to her. Now I must hear about all the places she’s looked for the last two years and how her grandson has been disappointed by her lack of Erector Set buying. And on and on.
However, on the same day a weirder example happened. I was checking out at Cost Plus and the salesclerk, and I know she just can’t help herself, blurts out, “Don’t you think that guy from Iran is crazy?!” Kind of a strange un-anteceded remark I thought. But she’s caught in my spell and as I hesitate, searching for a response, she continues, “You know the one who thinks that the Holocaust isn’t true?! Can you believe it? What’s wrong with that guy?” Now I like to talk about world events but it seems to me that she should have been saying, “Hi, did you find everything you need? What’s your zip code?” Anyway for our one minute of time together we discussed the craziness of the Iranian president and then, “Have a nice day.”
It’s really strange how people like to talk to me.
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