Today I walked in to work from the Chicago stop, down State Street. At an intersection near Marina Bay/House of Blues, I saw a woman walking some distance away from me, wearing a mid-thigh skirt and boots. Between us a man was literally bent over at the waist, his ears almost touching his knees in a futile attempt to look up her skirt.
As I got closer to him, I called out, "You're not trying hard enough."
He whipped upright and faced me, his hand over his mouth in surprise.
"Oh, you saw me."
"Yeah. Amazing, really, given how you're being so subtle and all."
I heard people behind me laughing.
Humiliation. The best medicine.
12 comments:
I saw a guy on Beacon Hill one afternoon turn to watch a woman jogging by - he kept walking while his head was turned - and walked directly into a street lamp - ah, humiliation!
I'll remember that.
I love it. I snicker loudly.
Why, SP? For the next time you try to look up a woman's dress?
No, the next time you complain that I made you cry in a subway station in Japan.
Humiliation. The best medicine.
It was OUTSIDE a commuter-rail station in Japan. On the street, in full view of everyone.
I hope you're proud of yourself.
Ya know you shouldn't out up with people who make you cry....
I know, believe me. He'll probably make me cry in London, too. He made me cry in Chicago.
Here's how it works: he gets so excited to see me and builds it up in his head to a fever pitch, and of course the next thing is massive anxiety that it will somehow not meet his expectations, so the thing of course is to sabotage it. The usual pattern is this:
Meet at the airport. Elation.
Ride whatever train system the city in question provides. Transitional small talk, getting used to talking to each other in person, despite the fact we talk on the phone several times a day.
Eat. Make plans.
Talk about what to do. Do some stuff. Shop.
On the third day have a big fight over nothing. I cry. Tension broken, rest of the trip is fine.
There have been some exceptions, like Egypt, where sticking together was absolutely necessary. There was no time for this crap there.
This time, though, there will be a third party, who will protect me.
You know what? Why don't you just go back to Egypt, then, and stay there. I hear there's people waiting for you up on the citadel. No, I insist.
SEE? See how he is? It's starting already.
On second thought, in Egypt you *did* offer to trade me for a boat ride.
It was a nice boat.
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