Standing at the check-out in Country Grocer with my oldest daughter. She’s about to turn 21. That has little bearing here except she is an adult and has returned to a world where being seen in public with her mother is no longer grounds for suicide.
First of all, the woman in the line ahead of us was a friend of mine and her husband taught my daughter last year at college. There is the small fact this woman is actually at least 10 years younger than me and her husband is also my junior. That would be enough for most to say, yup, I’m old now.
The real sign, to me, however came as Michelle and I were chatting about a variety of topics – including the golf & bbq afternoon from our curling club that I was unable to attend because of my work schedule – when she gave me a tap and said, in a loud, laughing voice, “you better pay attention, the cashier is hitting on your daughter.”
Without missing a beat I said, “ssshhh, play it cool, would ya, I know but look, he’s got a job and short hair…what’s the downside here?” The scary bit was it made perfect sense to me. Not only am I past the age where I get hit on…that boat sailed many years ago…but I can assess the young men hitting on my daughters with an eye to their stability and temperament.
My daughter kept saying, sure, a guy working at the local grocery store, like I’d go with a loser like that…and I thought to myself, a guy your age working as a cashier in a grocery store has potential, shows dedication, stability and possible ambition. A guy my age working as a cashier in a grocery store…that’s when you can be forgiven for seeing him as a loser.
the ideal man, bronzed and well developed