When I Need A Pick Me Up, by my friend Ryan King

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Reality Check--Of The Good Kind

So I'm in the Starbucks making my way through a small swirl of people to the exit when a woman comes out of the bathroom to my right. I catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye and all I really catch is a slack expression on her dark cocoa face. Not a physically attractive woman by most standards. Heavyset and a little too wide in the eyes. Fairly manly in fact. No attention to enhancing any womanly traits whatsoever. Wearing a red hoodie and jeans. And walking way too close to me as I continue to the door.

So close in fact that I hear her clearly when she exhales, "Damn! He's cute!" Referring to me. Because when I had glanced her way at first, she was staring right at me. Her too-wide eyes were gaped because she was looking me up and down as if she was catching a movie star incognito. Clearly she was compromised in the appropriate social behavior department. I could see some developmental disability behind her eyes and demonstrated in her inhibition-free exclamation.

But developmental disability doesn't mean a person is stupid. Maybe a little unwise and childlike, but not stupid. So she didn't have the impulse control that she could have exercized when she saw me--and because of that, I got to hear an unedited and clear opinion of my looks without the worry of what I would think of her, or whether I deserved to know, or any fear of what I would do to her as a result. She didn't worry about our relationship afterwards or if it would blow my head up, or if men on a whole don't deserve to have that information because they act like jerks once they know. Without any of those social filters, I heard what she thouhgt. It was like a direct link into her mind--as though I were telepathic suddenly.

"Damn! He's cute!"

Thank you, Miss Anonymous. I REALLY appreciated hearing that!

4 comments:

GrizzBabe said...

Work it, Alan!

Ned Hodgson said...

That's a good thing to happen anyday.

Or so I hear.

:(

Me said...

Shucks, Ned--just hang out with more developmentally disabled people and you'll get your props too! Either that or flat out ask someone to tell you if you're handsome or not (like I had to do to Grizzbabe a time ago. Yes I still remember. Will do forever!)

In fact, I do seem to recall a certain Shadesy person of the female persuasion complimenting your deep, clear hazel eyes ... or are they green?

Tera said...

And you know what Alan? Sometimes, we REALLY need to hear that...no matter WHO says it!

That's really awesome :)