mistaken identity
I was at the copper cup by showers...getting my morning coffee. I made my order, put my money down, and waited. The guy behind me was having a conversation about something or other, and his manner was slightly familiar.
I sign my receipt, take my cup, go over to the coffee dispensers. As I do, I catch a glimpse of the guy behind me, and make eye contact. Exchange of polite hellos. I think,
"Oh crap, that's that M dude from tai chi club over the summer..." He showed up a few times, was all 'I'm a badass, people don't understand me...' we get those a lot in club.
So I think to myself "heh, I'll be super chatty with him and he'll think HE's the idiot."
I set me coffee cup down and start looking for the pitcher of half and half, and he's finished paying for his order. The guy he was talking to has wandered off to look at a neat little display of bagged coffees and mugs. I say to M, "how are you?"
He looks at me like I'm nuts and says, "uh, fine, how are you?"
I can see he's trying to place me in context, and M would not have had to struggle.
"Alright."
he nods. I realize at that moment, that he's shorter than M, and has blue, not brown eyes.
Me: "Are you who I think you are?"
Him:"Probably not"
Me:"it figures."
I get very busy pouring cream into my coffee. The guy he was talking to says, "Pam...Pam..." (this is my deaf side)
I turn to the man of mistaken identity, "Pam?"
other guy says, "Ma'am..."
I was embracing the surrealism of the moment by now, so I said,
"Oh, I thought you said Pam..."
Then the other guy says, "I was going to say, 'ma'am, he's a professor..."
"Oh, that's cool....."
Man of mistaken Identity: "Is your name Pam?"
Me: "No."
Then we all decided that this was not a comfortable reality. My cream was in my coffee, and I decided that while they were chatting, I would leave very quickly.
I sign my receipt, take my cup, go over to the coffee dispensers. As I do, I catch a glimpse of the guy behind me, and make eye contact. Exchange of polite hellos. I think,
"Oh crap, that's that M dude from tai chi club over the summer..." He showed up a few times, was all 'I'm a badass, people don't understand me...' we get those a lot in club.
So I think to myself "heh, I'll be super chatty with him and he'll think HE's the idiot."
I set me coffee cup down and start looking for the pitcher of half and half, and he's finished paying for his order. The guy he was talking to has wandered off to look at a neat little display of bagged coffees and mugs. I say to M, "how are you?"
He looks at me like I'm nuts and says, "uh, fine, how are you?"
I can see he's trying to place me in context, and M would not have had to struggle.
"Alright."
he nods. I realize at that moment, that he's shorter than M, and has blue, not brown eyes.
Me: "Are you who I think you are?"
Him:"Probably not"
Me:"it figures."
I get very busy pouring cream into my coffee. The guy he was talking to says, "Pam...Pam..." (this is my deaf side)
I turn to the man of mistaken identity, "Pam?"
other guy says, "Ma'am..."
I was embracing the surrealism of the moment by now, so I said,
"Oh, I thought you said Pam..."
Then the other guy says, "I was going to say, 'ma'am, he's a professor..."
"Oh, that's cool....."
Man of mistaken Identity: "Is your name Pam?"
Me: "No."
Then we all decided that this was not a comfortable reality. My cream was in my coffee, and I decided that while they were chatting, I would leave very quickly.