the fishbowl in which i reside.
"Ms. O'Leary, where's your engagement ring?""I'm not wearing it today."
"yeah, my mom takes hers off sometimes too."
blast observant fourthgrade girls. the first week of school one of the little girls in my client's class asked me if i was engaged and pointed at my finger. At the time, this was indeed the case so I nodded yes. now i CERTAINLY do not keep the general population of nine year old girls updated on the latest twist in my personal life-saga, but apparently the news has spread--i'm just not sure how to break it to them gently. Before this year, not one of them ever asked me a single question about what i do outside of school. but stick a little sparkly ring on your finger and you've got yourself a brand new entourage of eyelash-batting, giggling elementary school girls who are just DYING to know all about it. Bah, Humbug. The interesting thing about this whole ideal is that the thin line separating personal/professional boudaries has been grievously blurred. I mean, it makes perfect sense. I tell my clients that i am 1) moving to DC, and 2) my fiance lives there and they say "congratulations" etc. and other such niceties. (this is the first they have ever heard anything about any of my relationships). they ask polite questions like "what does he do" and "what are your plans" and i supply them with a neat package of satisfying answers. THEN. three weeks after these small conversations take place i get to say just kidding! i am not moving.
enter onslaught of questions.
the buzzing never stops. in fact, my ears are still tingling. i now find myself in a situation where everyone and their grandmother knows particularly painful details about my life. everyone is very nice. people don't really know what to say (because there really isn't anything TO say) and people get to make sad-puppy eyes in my direction.
it put me in mind of a short passage from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Granted, the details are different and i am pulling this entirely out of context, but the basic exchange seems apropos.
SETTING: Two men ask Scrooge to give money to the poor in the spirit of Christmas. The men have just finished their oral presentation and get right to the point.
"...Most of the small businesses in the city have been very generous. What might we put you down for?"
"Nothing." Scrooge replied.
"You wish to remain annonymous?"
"I wish to be left alone"
sigh. so much for annonymity. the jig is up.
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