I had an interesting conversation with a new neighbor during one of the last pool days before the kids pack back off to school.
We were leaving the pool quickly in order to get home for showers & dinner before bedtime, and I was feeling a little rushed (if you knew the Prince kids, you'd know that feeling rushed is a natural state of being when trying to accomplish anything on a timeline).
As we walked to the gate a lady I'd never seen before called out to me a cheerful "Hello!" She got a cheerful "Hi!" in return then a quick turn back to Boy Prince to tell him he's quickly working towards a night with no dessert if he doesn't work himself out of the pool and get dried off immediately (this was easily the 4th time I'd made the threat - perhaps there's some insight into failed negotiating with an 8 year old comments? Help a brotha out readers!).
Undaunted by my obvious expression of rush-ed-ness, pool lady goes on to introduce herself as a new neighbor from a few doors up. Not wanting to be rude and accelerate the pace with which this new person will come to hate me, I smiled and returned the intro while including Boy Prince and Girl Prince in the mix. After a few minutes of me asking intrusive but necessary to act interested and polite questions, "Where are you from? Why did you move here? What do you do? What does your husband do?" I began to invoke the wrapping up this conversation voice - you know the high pitched question voice where you place a statement in place of the question - and began leaning bodily toward the exit.
It seems new neighbor's daughter picked up on the intrusive but polite questioning game and yelled out "What religion are you?" At first I was taken aback. I'd never had this put to me so bluntly before. Looking over to new neighbor lady for guidance on if she really wanted me to know, she interjects "She wants to know because I'm Catholic and the kids are Jewish. In fact he's (indicating her son with a nod) having his bar-mitzvah in a few week."
So there she stands with the expectant look of a nosey neighbor. Then I drop it, the bomb that is rarely dropped in the bible belt. "Well, I'm Atheist. These two (nodding at Kids Prince) aren't sure what they are yet, but they believe in God, and they're certain God's a man, though I've debated the point with them several times."
And so follows the stunned silence.
And so follows the stuttering.
And so follows the polite goodbye's.
But not before Boy Prince gets to add his bit: "And we have a game where we can play God. It's really cool!" He's referring to the really pretty cool iPod Touch game Pocket God.
So how about you? Have you come out to a stranger before, or even to a friend when you got a stunned silence in return? Did it impact your relationship with that person? Should I have done something more to ease the blow?
Sid.
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