Friday, September 18, 2009

What NOT to say.

Last night I went to GAP to see if I could find a pair of pants that fits. Before making it over to their overpriced pants I stopped to see what was on clearance. It was there I met two sales associates and a woman with her daughter, preparing for another daughters exit to the great unknown--college--in Maine.

Somehow the woman got slightly agitated that the boy sales associate suggested a white shirt with everything (because white seems to go with everything). She wanted a splash of color for her daughter. Finally she burst out, "How old do you think I am?" With a Brooklyn accent the "am" sounded sort of like "yam."

The guy looked at her (he was African American by the way--which I am adding because I found out that between races we have difficulty recognizing facial features and for me--age) and said, "sixty---uhhhh."

The lady said, "Stwop it right there. That is way to old."

Then she asked the other sales associate and me--since I was in the general vicinity. The sales associate kindly said 35. I said 41 (granted I may have given her leeway--you never know if people smoke because that adds about 20 years depending on the amount of time they have smoked).

At any rate she went around guessing people's ages and she guess I was about 5-10 years older than I am. Ugh. Now I remember why we do not EVER talk about people's ages.

Of course she capped it off several times by saying, "But age doesn't really matter to me. Then giving me detailed snippets of her 50+ (which I have nothing against) year life."

Now I understand weight, age, and abilities talks to women --never work--avoid them.

I don't think I'll go back to GAP for awhile.

3 comments:

Rachel said...

Great story Melanie. It really made me miss Brooklyn. People just tell it how it is and it always cracks me up. At least you didn't get the "are all these kids yours?"

vdg family said...

I get that all the time. On the laundry day there was a dear lady telling me that I should not have any more children. Opinions are free, I guess.

vdg family said...

I had better say I really love people in their 40's, 50's, and 60's and I am excited to look like them. But I like to look the age I am now, too.