Mostly, I keep my mouth shut. Mostly, I don't say the smartass, obvious, confrontational comments that fill my mind. Honestly. Or I say them very quietly.
Every once in a great while, I have a moment, and grab it's lapels in both fists and spit honesty at it.
We were readying a room for a trauma, everyone intently preparing for the usual eventualities, not much talking, a team used to working together, aware of our roles. The trauma surgeon (in his last few months taking trauma call, to everyone's relief) barged in, shouting and blustering, telling us all to do what we were already doing. Disturbing the flow, interrupting our communications. Some dark child in me spoke up.
"Shut up. You are not helping." Matter of fact, and I was right. He harumpfed (the only time I've actually heard anyone in real life harumpf) and left until he was needed. I believe there is still a trace memory of that in his brain that keeps him from pushing me too far, to this day.
I was in the library restroom, washing my hands, and the woman in the next stall opened the stall door. She had used the toilet, and not flushed (sounds, understand.) I looked at her, and said, "I always wondered what people who don't flush the toilet look like." She shrank, mumbled some incoherent excuse, retreating to flush. She was young, well dressed, apparently clean, and I suspect will never leave a used toilet unflushed ever again.
In the grocery store parking lot, two young perky high school age girls were holding clipboards, approaching people, perkily. They spotted me, and one accosted me.
"Hi! I'm doing a survey! Are you a friendly person!?"
I thought a moment, and answered.
"No." And got in my car.
Using the ATM at the grocery store, two school age children were closer to me than to their father. Close enough to see my PIN going in, bumping into me a bit. I stopped, stared at them, finally telling them they needed to stand back. The father asked me in an affronted tone if he thought his kids were going to steal something, or what.
"Actually, yes. And I don't like children."
It didn't work, that time. He was angry and offensive, which merely confirmed my previously mild suspicion that in fact they were up to no good. But I did manage to keep the children back just enough. And I delayed that yuppy looking man enough to share the annoyance. Most of the time, my bluntness comes back to bite me, which is why I usually restrain myself. Once in a while, though. Once in great while.
8 comments:
*sigh* Thank you. I feel much, much better now.
(o)
Lucky you, well done. Mostly I'm still so taken aback by people's offensiveness I don't think of the right words at the time and smart with them later.
particularly like the first and third ones - very satisfying. Truth like a sword...
j, glad to help.
lucy, me too.
h, always glad to hear from you.
tg, I've had the sword at my falseness, and have taken those moments to heart. I try to see it in myself first, and not deserve it from others.
Is there a conceivable rationale for not flushing a public toilet? I honestly want to know. There must be; people do it.
Bet the clipboards were perky, too.
These are great moments, Zhoen...the kinds of things that we wished we'd said, later, when it's too late. I particularly liked the last one. I feel about children like I do about adults - I like those who behave with at least a minimum of respect toward others, and I don't especially like those who don't. Good for you.
Your last story is so true. I once politely asked a child on a plane to stop kicking the back of my seat and he started to cry his mother completely lost it. She said he was only five years old and didn't know better and if I had a problem I should speak directly to her and I had no right to address her child. (Which is strange, because I have gone to sensitivity training and they say when a child is misbehaving you should speak directly to the child and not to the parent to avoid offending her by telling her how to raise her children and shaming her in public.) What's more, I apologized to the child and told him it was okay, and she screamed at me and said she just told me not to speak to him. I lost it and said she shouldn't take it out on me because she is a bad mother. My mom was on the plane with me and I could feel her cringe. I felt bad at the time since that's one of the worst things you can say to a woman, but thinking back on it, I am so glad I said it. In the future I fully intend to make all children who annoy me in public cry and then insult their parents should they retaliate. And next time I will demand the child apologize to ME.
p.s. You know me, always commenting on old posts...
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