Wednesday, May 09, 2007

I think I'm losing my tact

Yesterday my husband and I went to a discount grocery store. It's in a part of town that isn't very nice, so it kind of draws strange people to it. (I know....like us :P) He had called and said he was on his way home from work, so we arranged to meet there. I got there first, and as I was meandering down the first aisle I noticed a woman bending over looking through a discount bin. Now, I was always taught not to bend over with my rear in the air for everyone to check out, but obviously this woman wasn't. But something about her just seemed a little odd to me, so I ignored her. My husband came and we were shopping together, when suddenly he said something to me in Chinese. I can't remember what it was, and it isn't unusual for us to speak in chinese to each other, we do that frequently, but something about what he said made me look up. There was this same woman. She was probably in her 60's. She was wearing a pair of overall shorts. Underneath she had on a white halter top....erm....sort of had it on. Let's put it this way....one breast was wearing it, the other was...shall we say....finding freedom of expression.
Now, I have always been a pretty tolerant person. I have had to deal with many mentally ill people in my life, so I understand them. But something about my husband's reaction to her sent me in to a fit of laughter. I even shocked myself that I was laughing out loud! A woman nearby....obviously one who still has her tact, looked at me in shock, although I noticed a faint smile on her face.
We went about our shopping, and at one point I asked my husband to go get something on the next aisle over. He said, "I dare not!". He pointed with his eyes, and there, sure enough, was Mrs. Breastbefree. So I went and got the item, all the while noticing the teenage boys who work there giggling and eyeing each other.
Today I was telling my son about it and he said, "You know, a policeman would just say, 'Could you cover yourself up?'" I think that thought never occurred to me. I was tactless enough to laugh out loud, but tactful enough to let her be.

1 comment:

Meg85242 said...

Hi there - just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog. I don't get a chance to read it very often but when I do I like to catch up! Thank you for making me smile today!

Hugs,
Meg in AZ