The most amusing thing happened to me today and I was at a loss for words. Yes, me! SILENCED.
As a good tenant/manager, I braved the snowy roads after work to deposit the rent cheques for my landlord. I quickly scrawled out my cheque in the car, headed in to the bank and handed the bank teller the deposits. She laughed out loud and said to me "Some people should take handwriting lessons." I looked at the three cheques in her hands, noticing how neat my roommates were and then it dawned on me that she was talking about mine. She then said "I mean, do these even look like fours to you?" I looked at her, looked at the cheque and looked back at her. I said nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I didn't laugh and act like it wasn't mine. I didn't say "Well, I wrote it so yes, I think they look like fours." I didn't even defend myself and say "I wrote it in the car, in a rush."
My silence was not enough to clue her in to her social faux pas, but I wasn't sure that shaming her in to it was the best option either. I was just plain flabbergasted.
Echoing in my brain was my mother's famous quote "Well your scrapbook would look nicer if you worked on your penmanship." (Only a true Brit can say that. I think it must be required to have neat, legible handwriting over there because even my boy cousins write like girls). Damn you elementary school teachers for not forcing me to be neat and tidy with my printing. And damn me for being so taken aback that I missed a perfect opportunity to humiliate her back.
6 comments:
I like the graphic to go along with the story.
i'm thinking i ought to print it off and practice!
My penmanship also lacks fluidity and, let's be honest, legibility. I think I should go back to elementary school and learn to write all over again. And perhaps retake math while I'm there. My 8 year old niece seems to be better at multiplication tables than I am.
Funny story. Sorry you inherited your penmanship from your father - and I do think it is inherited. I'm sure someone told me recently - or I read it - that they were phasing out teaching cursive writing in school because handwriting is becoming redundant - so much is done on computers these days - shame.
How would you be able to humiliate her back? She was right, eh?
I would have totally laughed and been all, "yeah that's my chicken scratch!" Own it sister! You may have awful penmanship (it's true) but you have many other fine qualitites, such as being a good tenant!
Embarrass her at least. My handwriting is terrible. But she would have felt stupid if I was rude. And it would have been funny. So tough oh me... geez ;)
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