And then the Spouse Thing caught the cold, his reward for taking care of me when I felt really gross.
But, this weekend I felt normal--still a bit of a goopy cough, but that's may be allergies--so I went to Starbucks to get some re-writes stared. Max was patient while I felt bad, but he wants this book finished so that we can move onto the next, more adult one. For realz. He's totally into this.
Now, one of my worries about shaving my head every year is that I'm going to get mistaken for a guy--it's happened before--and violently thrust out of restrooms or the locker room. And before anyone says there's no way I would be misgendered, remember, I was hit by a little Asian woman repeatedly a few years ago because she thought exactly that: there was a man in the ladies room and she wasn't having any of that.
No big deal.
However.
Twice now in Starbucks, after spending a few minutes chatting with women in line ahead of me, there has been an offer to buy my drink. Different women, even. Both times I was using free rewards, so I politely declined, and it was fine although a little awkward the first time, because I was taken aback by the offer.
The second time?
After I placed my order and went to the hand-off area to wait, we continued to chat. She asked all kinds of questions. How did I like Dixon? What did I do? How much fun is having a Starbucks this big nearby? The whole time, I'm thinking "What a nice lady," because most people just aren't that friendly.
Then I hitched up my backpack because it was uncomfortable, and she noted the wedding ring. Then she asked me how long I'd been married.
When I said thirty-five years, there was a beat of quiet confusion, and then "Oh. OH! Well, I'm barking up the wrong tree, aren't I?"
Guys...not gonna lie, I was flattered as hell.
And now I wonder if the first woman offering to buy my tea thought the same thing. My ego kind of hopes so. I mean, I'm 55. How often do you get hit on when you're 55?
I can't even say I've still got it, because I never really had it.
Still...my day was made.
2 comments:
That is why mum made you your pretty pink hat. Keep your head warm and show your pink side.
I have to smile in understanding.
I;m a guy. In college I let my hair grow long. On one occassion, a customer came up from behind and said : excuse my miss" until I turned around. He didn't know what to sy, but I did. "don't worry about it". I DID have beautifully lonf hair. I don't know, so I laugh at the memories. I usually just kept it a ponytail with those interlocking beads on elastics. But it had fallen off some I had just brushed it
Men can have as long and beautiful hair as women do if the each want do. I stopped bothering with it much after that. Mostly just because it wasn't the effort for me.
Years later, the office director in my real career place grew one of those little guy ducktails to show he was "cool" (he wasn't) so I regrew a 12" ponytail. When I left that office, I cut it off. It still hangs on my bedroom wall as a trophy.
Head hair is funny. Sometimes it means something; sometimes not. I enjoyed growing it 2x, but otherwise I really don't care much about it. I'm considering just shaving it all off.
I shave my face and neck every day with a electric razor, why not my head too?
It would just be "one more look".
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