The greatest fear of adoptive families out in public, anyhow.
AwesomeCloud and I were at Home Depot, cruising around and looking at PVC connectors and lumber brackets. Orange-vested employees kept coming up and asking us if we needed any help, and if I could think of a question, I'd ask it; if not, I'd say no thanks.
Then a middle-aged customer caught my eye in passing, smiled at AwesomeCloud, and said, "How much did you pay for him?"
Oh no. I'd heard that people ask this question, and I've read rants about how deeply offensive and inappropriate it is. I am well prepped to resent the implication.
Just not prepared to actually answer it.
"Gak," I said.
"How much did you pay for him?" the man asked again. Apparently he thought "Gak" meant "Please repeat yourself; I didn't hear you."
"Gak," I said again, this time more pointedly and with greater outrage.
"I was just kidding!" he said. And he wandered off.
Just kidding.... ohhhh. Right. Just kidding.
I have to inform you, Mr. Hardware Store Customer, that your joke fell flat and I can't think of any way to salvage it. Perhaps you should drop it from your repertoire.
Holy crap! Gak indeed! What a buffoon (there are other choice words that would fit here as well).
ReplyDeleteIt is pure ignorance!!
ReplyDeleteOuch! I'm so glad I haven't gotten that one yet. The oddest question I got was from a lady standing in line behind me at Target. She was mesmerized with SuSu for a few minutes and then smiled and said "Is she yours?". Whaaaaat??? No one has ever, ever, ever asked me if Peanut was mine.
ReplyDeleteARE YOU SERIOUS? SOMEONE ACTUALLY SAID THAT?! GAAAAAAKKKK! I can't believe someone could be that idiotic. Okay, maybe I can, but sheesh, I don't want to believe it. That is truly awful. Truly.
ReplyDeleteI can only hope that he hadn't looked closely at the Cloud, did not realize he was adopted, and was making the joke I have heard frequently when shopping with the kids- "Oh, what aisle did you find her in?" and that kind of thing.
Because otherwise that is just really offensive.
Lori, I just assumed it was about Cloud being adopted, because he phrased it in just the way people say it gets phrased.
ReplyDeleteThat's just wrong. :-/
ReplyDeleteYouch! Been there a bazillion times!
ReplyDeleteCame across your blog via Tongginator - your (atheist) post caught my attention. Sounds like we are of like minds so, wanted to check out your blog.
M.
Hi Mahmee! It's nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteMaybe my kids look adopted. I've gotten that joke directed toward them, phrased the same way. Huh.
ReplyDeleteThat person is anoying, but if it makes you feel any better I got asked the same question at the grocery store recently. They were referring to my bio son who is a virtual MiniMe. They thought their joke was so funny they went on to say that they wanted one too and what aisle was he found in. I am a waiting mom for #2 and I found it some what baffling/reliving that my first encounter with the nimwhit shopper was with MiniMe, I was prepared to deal with it much much later. :)
ReplyDelete