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- #841
I have to share a story about John, his language, and a misunderstanding.
When he was installing the electronic pet door and was on the outside of the house, I passed items through the opening to him. At one point, I got a text message on my phone, so I picked it up and was responding to it. This was just as he was passing something back through the opening to me. What I heard him say was "Don't be a witch." (But the w was a b sound.)
I was SO shocked. Huh?? I put my phone down, guiltily, and accepted the drill. The installation continued without incident, but I was very disturbed by the comment. I figured I would have a discussion with him later about why that happened....
Several days later, as I was helping him put the shed together, I was standing with a hammer in one hand, just staring off into the distance at some of my chickens. John said, "Don't be a bench, Linda."
When I looked at him, processing the words, he said, "You know where that saying comes from?"
"No, I don't. Please explain." I was rapidly thinking, oh my goodness, he called me a bench that time!
"It's a carpenter saying. What do benches do? Not much, they just hold things. So, don't just stand there holding something, being a bench."
I replied, "I am SO glad you explained that! Last week I thought you said, "Don't be a witch" to me (again, substituting the b for the w.)
He looked really shocked. "Oh, no! I would never say that! Really, you thought I said that? Why didn't you say something to me!!!"
"I am. Now."
"I would NEVER say something like that. Oh my god. You must have thought I was a real jerk!"
"I really just wondered what I had done to have you say that... "
"Nothing. One, you're a customer. Two, I don't use language like that unless I am very ticked. Three, I would never say that TO a woman, ever."
And we continued on with our tasks. A little later, he nudged me. I was standing there with the measuring tape, watching the chickens again. "Oh, right... I'm being a bench again."
So, y'all can see why his use of that other vulgarism - when describing what my egg sales sign should read - made me almost fall over laughing. He just doesn't use bad language.
When he was installing the electronic pet door and was on the outside of the house, I passed items through the opening to him. At one point, I got a text message on my phone, so I picked it up and was responding to it. This was just as he was passing something back through the opening to me. What I heard him say was "Don't be a witch." (But the w was a b sound.)
I was SO shocked. Huh?? I put my phone down, guiltily, and accepted the drill. The installation continued without incident, but I was very disturbed by the comment. I figured I would have a discussion with him later about why that happened....
Several days later, as I was helping him put the shed together, I was standing with a hammer in one hand, just staring off into the distance at some of my chickens. John said, "Don't be a bench, Linda."
When I looked at him, processing the words, he said, "You know where that saying comes from?"
"No, I don't. Please explain." I was rapidly thinking, oh my goodness, he called me a bench that time!
"It's a carpenter saying. What do benches do? Not much, they just hold things. So, don't just stand there holding something, being a bench."
I replied, "I am SO glad you explained that! Last week I thought you said, "Don't be a witch" to me (again, substituting the b for the w.)
He looked really shocked. "Oh, no! I would never say that! Really, you thought I said that? Why didn't you say something to me!!!"
"I am. Now."
"I would NEVER say something like that. Oh my god. You must have thought I was a real jerk!"
"I really just wondered what I had done to have you say that... "
"Nothing. One, you're a customer. Two, I don't use language like that unless I am very ticked. Three, I would never say that TO a woman, ever."
And we continued on with our tasks. A little later, he nudged me. I was standing there with the measuring tape, watching the chickens again. "Oh, right... I'm being a bench again."
So, y'all can see why his use of that other vulgarism - when describing what my egg sales sign should read - made me almost fall over laughing. He just doesn't use bad language.