good will...

[wavyarms]

The oddest thing happened today. I had just exited the building I work in to go troubleshoot a laptop in another building, when this guy ran up behind me saying something. I turned around, expecting I had dropped my ID, but I looked down and it was still on its lanyard. He was pointing to the ground, so I stared down at myself, and then stared up at him in bafflement. "Your shoelace," he said. "It's untied." At this point I continued to stare at him in bafflement. He got a little embarrassed, and said hurriedly, "I mean, I wasn't sure if you were aware, so I thought...your shoelace...yeah." "Right," I said. "Thanks." And turned around and kept walking so he wouldn't see me laugh in his face. Then I stopped and tied it, so all his effort wouldn't have been wasted.

Was he worried I would trip, fall, crack my crown, die, and my blood would be on his hands? I mean...who stops a total stranger on the street to tell them their shoelace is untied? Apparently people who are more concerned with the public good than myself...

Comments

shoe untied

[(Anonymous)]

Hel-LO, Al, didn't it occur to you he was making an excuse to talk to you because maybe he was attracted to you?! Maybe he was hoping you would thank him profusely...a conversation would ensue, and then a flirtation, a romance and eventually Eternal Wedded Bliss?
--T.S.

Re: shoe untied

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

OK, I know that sounds reasonable, but believe me, this was a stressed-out, well-dressed guy who really was honestly concerned that my shoe was untied, and couldn't believe that anyone would not want to be immediately apprised of this disaster. He obviously just wanted to get his duty of informing me out of the way and run off to whatever he had to run off to. He was speaking really fast, and had that "I'm about to dart off in a tangential direction as soon as possible" body posture.

So there. :P Nobody was hitting on me. (As if! ;)

Re: shoe untied

[ex-a517dogg70.livejournal.com]

So naive.

Re: shoe untied

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

Oh, come on. Don't give me that. What kind of moron chases someone down and frantically tells them their shoe is untied, and then hopes to strike up a conversation? What do you say next? "So, is your personal grooming always this dreadful?" Or, "Nice shoes, wanna fuck?" There aren't a lot of other options.

Besides, I am perfectly capable of telling when people are hitting on me. Someone did it just the other day. He said, "You seem cool. Do you want to go out for coffee sometime?" and I have been well educated enough in the coded communications of my culture that I recognized that that meant, "I think you're attractive. Is there any chance that in the near or far future we might enter into sexual relations with each other, or barring that, a lopsided friendship?"

Don't be calling *me* naive.

P.S. I said no, if you're on tenterhooks.

Re: shoe untied

[eeblet.livejournal.com]

What kind of moron chases someone down and frantically tells them their shoe is untied, and then hopes to strike up a conversation?

ahem. er.... me?

Re: shoe untied

[wavyarms.livejournal.com]

Oh.

*beat*

Did it work?