Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Things I Wish I Hadn't Said

Oh, boy. I just made a complete ass of myself.

You ever watch a TV show like The Office (or watch Susan Mayer in Desperate Housewives) and get so embarrassed at the cringe-inducing things they're saying and the hole they're digging for themselves that you have to just turn away or watch through your fingers? I know I do. I get horribly embarrassed for people who can't seem to get embarrassed for themselves. And if you had been with me half an hour ago, you would have been having one of those so-awkward-I-can't-watch moments.

Let me set the scene. Five minutes before Ainsley and I would have to leave for school, I got that phone-master call I had been expecting that my school was cancelled in light of snow-covered roads. Ainsley's school made no such call, so I still had to take her in to school.

So we pull up in front of her school while it's still mostly dark, and there's some wet snow coming down. As I help Ains out of the car, squinting against the wind and snowflakes, I see some other parents and their kids coming up to the front doors. Ainsley calls out, "Hi, Billy!" to one of her classmates. I perk up at this; Ainsley has just received an invite to Billy's birthday party, and I still need to RSVP. So when I see the person holding Billy's hand, and see waist-length dark hair, I decide to introduce myself and say we're coming to the party.

"Hi! You must be Billy's mom," I say. "We're coming to the party; I just haven't RSVP'ed yet..."

And about then Billy's "mom" lifts "her" head and I see the stubble. Crap. Billy's dad has really long hair.

And then I just started rambling.

"Oh! You're Billy's dad. I'm sorry, I just saw the hair, but this is Ainsley, and she's coming to the birthday party, and..." and about then I realized I couldn't shut up and really couldn't tell you what all I said, but I know whatever it was it probably didn't help anything. Billy's dad just smiled and nodded until we got to the door and there we thankfully parted ways.

Maybe she's not going to the birthday party. I don't know if I can show my face to the dad again.

4 comments:

Robert K. said...

If it makes you feel any better, I was once at the receiving end of a mistaken-gender comment when I came home from college one year (back when I still had hair).

Anonymous said...

Aye...I know exactly how you feel. This is why I avoid speaking to people. Something like this would happen to me every time!!

Who Am I? said...

I got embarrassed just reading it. Classic.

Anonymous said...

Well, that isn't as bad as asking when someone is due and they aren't even expecting!!!