Not saying it, but thinking it
Most of us go into someone else's home armed with our best manners, I assume. Especially if we are there for business, to repair something or to deliver or whatever. Am I wrong in this?
At least, most people I know going into a home, say, where the walls are covered by paint-by-number clowns on black velvet would not say anything at all, or if pressed for a comment, would venture a mild, "Bright and cheerful colors!"
So why is it that it's okay to come into a home that has bookshelves everywhere, look around as if sniffing a long-dead mackerel (I have scrubbed the worn walls and vacuumed the ancient rug, which gets professionally deep-cleaned twice a year), and say, "You have a lot of books," in pretty much the same tone as someone might say, "You have a lot of dead rats lying around." And then, as if to make certain we Got The Message, add, "Do you read them all?"
We always respond politely, "Oh yes," but one of these days I might get old and cranky enough to actually say what is running through my mind:
No, we eat them.
No, they're holding up the ceiling.
They're not really books. {Weird smile}
They multiply when we're not looking. Uh oh, there's two of them at it again. Naughty! {pointing randomly}
This entry was originally posted at https://sartorias.dreamwidth.org/974775.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
At least, most people I know going into a home, say, where the walls are covered by paint-by-number clowns on black velvet would not say anything at all, or if pressed for a comment, would venture a mild, "Bright and cheerful colors!"
So why is it that it's okay to come into a home that has bookshelves everywhere, look around as if sniffing a long-dead mackerel (I have scrubbed the worn walls and vacuumed the ancient rug, which gets professionally deep-cleaned twice a year), and say, "You have a lot of books," in pretty much the same tone as someone might say, "You have a lot of dead rats lying around." And then, as if to make certain we Got The Message, add, "Do you read them all?"
We always respond politely, "Oh yes," but one of these days I might get old and cranky enough to actually say what is running through my mind:
No, we eat them.
No, they're holding up the ceiling.
They're not really books. {Weird smile}
They multiply when we're not looking. Uh oh, there's two of them at it again. Naughty! {pointing randomly}
This entry was originally posted at https://sartorias.dreamwidth.org/974775.html. Please comment there using OpenID.