Thursday, November 13, 2008

So... that was awkward...

I went to lunch with my friend Maria today. We went to the mall because it's near her work and it's fast and she only has an hour for lunch. After we ate (because it doesn't take a full hour when you get your food in 10 minutes or less), we walked down to Old Navy really quick. They have a coat that I want and I wanted her opinion on it as I don't trust their mirrors. Just as soon as I get some more money in my account, I'm going to snap it up. It's cute. I kinda love it. (Picture here.) I'd love it more if it were lined in cotton or bamboo or really any natural fiber instead of polyester, but until I have several hundred dollars to spend on a designer coat or I get good enough at sewing to make my own or the McFashion industry starts using things other than petroleum synthetics to line coats, I'm going to have to grit my teeth and bear it... Maybe at some point I'll be able to rip the lining out of it and replace it with something better... *hopes* Anyway, Maria approved of the coat.

On the way back to my car, as we were talking and having a nice walk through the mall, we were accosted by a nice but still kinda rude young woman... And this is where the awkward that I can't help but be amused by for some reason today happened... This girl was younger than us, going by her unfortunate overuse of eyeliner and mascara and her Abercrombie & Fitch attire. She wanted to tell us about Jesus and pray with us and get us to verbally say we accept him as our savior so that she would know we would go to Heaven when we die... You know... *cocks eyebrow*... Now, Maria is a Christian, but she finds proselytizing extremely and uncomfortably distasteful. And I, as we all know, am a heathen Jew. LOL! So she asked us how we knew we'd go to Heaven when we die. Maria didn't speak at that point, I think it was too awkward, so I did because it's automatic at a certain point and I can't stop myself... Like I said, awkward... Now, I could have gone off on a shpil of what I really think about such a question... about how we don't know and neither does she really because there might be a Heaven or there might not, none of us can prove or disprove it, and really why does it matter all that much when there's so much we have to be doing, indeed so much that we are obligated to be doing, while we're alive anyway... But I didn't, because we would have been there half the afternoon, so I just said the very simple, "Because God loves us," as if it were self-evident because I figured that was an answer she was probably looking for, and she certainly seemed to think it was a good answer and heartily agreed with me. I interrupted her at that point and told her, in hopes that she'd leave us to our business, since she interrupted our conversation by coming up to us as if she knew us in the first place, that we were leaving the mall because Maria had to get back to work right away, but she refused to take that hint and said she would walk with us. o.O Right... 'Cause that's not creepy at all... So she fell into step beside me, and prayed aloud that God would allow us to accept Jesus so she, personally, would get to see us in Heaven, as she so ardently hoped she would. Honestly, I had to check myself not to laugh out loud. As it was, I know my lips twitched of their own accord into a very amused smile. I couldn't look at Maria because I knew if I did, I would have started laughing. And then, in a tone as if she were talking condescendingly to children - a tone I've heard many times from people such as her and normally it makes me want to tell them where they can stick their Bible, but this time it did not, this time it was just too amusing - she asked us to repeat after her, "I am a sinner, but I love God and I accept Jesus Christ in my heart as my lord and personal savior." (Or something to that general effect and I'm sure she would have capitalized that sentence differently...) I very-- I'm not sure what my tone was... I guess I was too amused by her youthful, zealous naivety to be pissed like I usually am at proselytizers... Anyway, I said to her, "Oh, I can't say that. I'm Jewish." And shrugged at her. She looked so very, very genuinely disappointed... I can't quite convey it in words. Just really, so disappointed that that was my answer. I have to laugh remembering it. And then she looked to Maria. I said, because Maria had such a look on her face, like she didn't know what to say to this girl, "But she could say it, if you want her to." And Maria just kinda shrugged and said she already had said it because she's a Christian. I'm not sure what the girl said or did at that point, other than she finally left us alone, but I think she was reasonably pleased with that answer. As soon as she was out of earshot, I said, "Well, that was awkward." And Maria added, "We really need to learn not to talk to people." It's true, we so do need to learn that. Gets us in trouble every freaking time... I felt compelled to add that at least we know better and don't give money to people who beg for it on the street. So that's something... And that launched us off on some reminiscences of times people begged us for money and/or we saw pickpockets in Europe. *nods* That happened to both of us a number of times over there. Way more than in the US...

So that was my day so far... LOL!

4 comments:

La Duchesse said...

The link just took me to a "This page cannot be displayed" page. I just got my winter coat from them... the Duffle Coat in blue. It's only been cold enough to wear a couple times, but I love it.. Would be truly funny if you got the same one! :P

I know what you mean. It's disconcerting and when it happens it's a tough call: do you say something rude or just play along? When I was a freshman in college, my friend Barb was here for lunch and we had a similar experience when some young guy knocked on the door. I answered, said, "Yes?" and was astonished when he said, "Can I pray for you?"
I could really think of an appropriate response, so I said, "We're eating lunch right now" and he thanked me and left. It was puzzling, but definitely makes me laugh when I think about it.

RaeS said...

Hmm... The hotlink worked last night, but now it's doing the same thing for me. How odd... I got the "Pique Wool-Blend Coat." So not the same one, but I looked at the website and yours is super-cute too! I don't remember seeing it in the stores down here.

That is always the question. I've done both, but more often than not I play along because I hate confrontations... The only times I'm rude is when it's someone who comes to my door. We've got a "No Solicitations" sign outside our door and, I figure, if they choose to ignore that and not acknowledge that that does, indeed, include them, the least they deserve in return is a door slammed in their face.

La Duchesse said...

I got it from the website. The closest store is about 45 minutes away, and since I hate shopping anyway, I don't go there very often. :P Well.. shopping for clothes, at least. I like shopping for yarn, books, and office supplies, but not clothes.

That's smart. Fortunately, such things don't happen to us very often, but that does sound like a good way to prevent it!

RaeS said...

Ah, well, good thing for internet shopping then! Yeah, I used to not like shopping for clothes so much, but then I found the Lane Bryant store. And some things in Old Navy fit me, though I mostly have to order from their website. I'm right on the cusp between their largest in-store size and their smallest "Plus Size," which is only available through their website. It all depends on how it's cut. And every now and then I find something nice somewhere else.

You'd think so, but most people who walk around the neighborhood selling things and religion seem to ignore out little sign. Luckily, it doesn't happen too very often here either.