2004-11-28 - 1:39 a.m.
The other morning I was walking. This alone is news, considering that I spent the last month parked in front of the computer. The walking thing was quite a shock to the system. Arrrghh! Sunlight! And what is this novel idea of leg movement??
I adjusted to the novelty happily though. Soon after, my path intersected with an old man and his dog. The dog jumped on me and I tried to keep on walking, but the old man put his hands on my shoulders and commanded that I stop.
He told me his dog was called Lassie and then he grabbed my right hand and turned it over. He stared at my palm intently and pronounced, in broken English that took me a moment to decipher, that someone in my family would be having twins.
Then he asked me if I had a boyfriend. And no, old crazy psychic man was not coming on to me, if that's what you were thinking. He was harmless, full of joie de vie.
Anyway, the boyfriend question was still strangely difficult to answer.
I obviously don't. But. There is a very nagging "but" there. I still feel taken. Should I be trying to dismiss that? Probably. Will I? Not even if I knew how.
Eventually I replied with a slightly wistful "Not anymore," and the old man had a very disapproving squint in his eye as he said "He was no good!"
I had to laugh a little at that, because it was all seeming like the opening lines of a country song -- "Honey an old man stopped me on the street today/To tell me that you're no gooood" -- and because for a second there I was about to start defending the goodness of my ex to some random old guy. BIZARRE.
But I caught myself in time, and he went on to ramble about how boys only use girls for sex and how I should grow my hair long and wear skirts because boys like legs and how am I ever going to get a husband in those jeans?
I giggled and nodded and said he was right, and he, he kissed my cheek and my hand and said "Goodbye, beautiful girl" and I smiled and kept walking.
I don't know why I like that strange incident so much. I think all this time cooped indoors has made me underestimate the world's ability to surprise me. And generally, I've always underestimated the amount of good surprises ... as a self-defence strategy.
I guess I just like that I'm no psychic, and neither was he, but of us I'm probably the more idiotic of the pair; my guesses of what the future holds are all absurdly negative, and it lightens my heart to know I have so little chance of being correct. You know? It's just so unpredictable, in every way...
I adjusted to the novelty happily though. Soon after, my path intersected with an old man and his dog. The dog jumped on me and I tried to keep on walking, but the old man put his hands on my shoulders and commanded that I stop.
He told me his dog was called Lassie and then he grabbed my right hand and turned it over. He stared at my palm intently and pronounced, in broken English that took me a moment to decipher, that someone in my family would be having twins.
Then he asked me if I had a boyfriend. And no, old crazy psychic man was not coming on to me, if that's what you were thinking. He was harmless, full of joie de vie.
Anyway, the boyfriend question was still strangely difficult to answer.
I obviously don't. But. There is a very nagging "but" there. I still feel taken. Should I be trying to dismiss that? Probably. Will I? Not even if I knew how.
Eventually I replied with a slightly wistful "Not anymore," and the old man had a very disapproving squint in his eye as he said "He was no good!"
I had to laugh a little at that, because it was all seeming like the opening lines of a country song -- "Honey an old man stopped me on the street today/To tell me that you're no gooood" -- and because for a second there I was about to start defending the goodness of my ex to some random old guy. BIZARRE.
But I caught myself in time, and he went on to ramble about how boys only use girls for sex and how I should grow my hair long and wear skirts because boys like legs and how am I ever going to get a husband in those jeans?
I giggled and nodded and said he was right, and he, he kissed my cheek and my hand and said "Goodbye, beautiful girl" and I smiled and kept walking.
I don't know why I like that strange incident so much. I think all this time cooped indoors has made me underestimate the world's ability to surprise me. And generally, I've always underestimated the amount of good surprises ... as a self-defence strategy.
I guess I just like that I'm no psychic, and neither was he, but of us I'm probably the more idiotic of the pair; my guesses of what the future holds are all absurdly negative, and it lightens my heart to know I have so little chance of being correct. You know? It's just so unpredictable, in every way...
