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April 22, 2007
This Really Happened
This afternoon, I parked at a trailhead to run, but sat in my car for a few minutes to finish the phone conversation I was having. During these few minutes, a woman pulls in and parks next to me. She gets out of her car and sets out walking on the trail. I am a few minutes behind her beginning my run.
When I return to the trailhead, it appears that she has also just returned. I go to my car, retrieve a water bottle, and stretch a little. She approaches me closely, breaking through the personal space bubble-thingy that we all have around us. She smiles and asks if I can do her a favor. I say that I can, and she silently turns around and bends over. Now I'm staring at the behind of a strange woman, and I have no idea what I am supposed to do.
A long, awkward pause occurs as she remains in position and I stand there feeling ridiculous. In an effort to end the painful silence, I guessed the favor I was supposed to be doing. "They're clean?" I say, thinking she perhaps wants me to see if her pants are dirty. She remains unmoving and I hear her say, "Are there any ticks back there?" I make a set of cursory glances around the back of this strange woman's pants. There aren't any ticks visible, so I answer in the negative.
She finally rights herself and relays that she'd been sitting in grass and hoped that she hadn't acquired any ticks while sitting. Then she thanked me, told me she hoped I had a good run, returned to her car, and drove away.
I cannot make this stuff up.
Posted by Meghan at April 22, 2007 10:02 PM
Comments
Crap. This can not be made up. I am not sure what to say. I am not even sure what I would have thought:) Hmm, I'd get in a car and drive far away.
Posted by: olga at April 22, 2007 10:47 PM
Meghan, thanks for sharing! I can believe this happened to you. I am glad it was nothing more strange. Although, the way this woman asked for your help is quite odd!
Posted by: Mary at April 23, 2007 9:25 AM
Hilariously weird!
Posted by: Jenny at April 23, 2007 2:42 PM
Thank goodness she didn't have any ticks - or she would have asked you to get them off!
(Probably more than you want to know, but just for fun: personal space bubble-thingy has a formal name: your kinesphere (pronounced kin-a-sphere). One of those random bits of knowledge that floats around in my brain)
Posted by: backofpack at April 23, 2007 6:38 PM
This. is. so. funny.
I've got the giggles.
Umm, perhaps she is from another culture in which it's simply an unspoken norm? Bending over in front of a stranger OF COURSE means "check me for ticks, will ya?"
Yeah, I thought so too.
:)
Posted by: anne at April 23, 2007 10:52 PM
How did you resist?!?!
!!KICK!!
Ticks? This time of year? She could only hope. What a strange person. The strange thing is that they would assume some knowledge of what is expected. Verbal communication is a wonderful thing - if only people would use it.
Posted by: JeffO at April 24, 2007 9:58 AM
Here we go. This explains everything. Apparently it's going around.
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20070424.html
Posted by: anne at April 25, 2007 8:37 AM