an office worker and a gentleman

i spent an hour at the carwash today. apparently everyone came out for the Tuesday special. i didn't actually think i was going to be there for an hour, so i didn't bother to sit down when i got there. furthermore, i sit all day, so when i have the opportunity to stand...in the sun...i take it. well, half an hour later i was still standing. i considered sitting at that point because one side of my body was starting to crisp under the direct sunlight. but i would have had to sit next to the guy who was smoking or the guy who was talking too loudly on his cell phone or the guy with the kid who had Cheeto powder all over his fingers. furthermore, chester cheeto jr. was a bit...how should is say?...inquisitive. which is a nice way of saying he had a lot of questions about a lot of shit and made a lot of noise and couldn't sit down. i decided it was best if continued to stand (with my purse blocking my legs, seeing as how i'd opted to wear a dress and not shave).

behind me, a guy asked, "would you like to sit down?" i turned around. it was the custodian of the kid with the orange fingers. he was talking to me. what a pleasant surprise! "no, but thank you so much," i replied. "you sure?" "yes. thank you though." i declined, not because i was afraid his kid would ruin my dress but rather, i wasn't very well going to have this guy get up out of his chair for me. maybe it's all that single-sex education i had growing up or the absence of chivalrous behavior in L.A. that has led me to view such behavior as unnecessary or slightly absurd. in any case, i turned him down, but i was flattered nevertheless. several minutes later, he got up, picked up his chair, brought it over to me and set it down saying, "you should sit. it's going to be a while. and you shouldn't stand there all this time in boots." (yes, the boots). i accepted this time, hell, the chair was right there and thanked him profusely. but i could NOT BELIEVE that he had actually given me his chair. perhaps i'm making a big deal out of something insignificant, but actions like this are so rare. a guy being nice just because? wtf? to top it off, he went to grab another chair for himself, and when he rejoined his son, the little boy asked, "where did you go?"
"to get a chair."
"why?"
"because i gave mine away."
"why?"
"because that's what boys do." (silence)
dad continues, "do you know what boys do for girls?"
"whaa?"
"what do boys do for girls?"
"whaa?"
that's right, kid. that's the same answer you'll have 20 years from now, i thought to myself. way to go. pops on the other hand, that was a different story. chivalrous AND trying to teach his kid a much-needed lesson. i was SMITTEN. it was time for some deductive reasoning: he's already established that he's a gentleman, he's at the carwash so he has a car, and he has a kid so he's clearly not impotent or opposed to family life...with all that established my mind immediately went down the obligatory prenuptial checklist. 1. could i deal with the kid? well, kristin, you aren't really into the whole insta-family thing. and his son seems to lack discipline. but i'm sure you could work with it... 2. would his asian relatives totally hate me and talk about me in a language that i don't understand? probably. do you really want to deal with that? no. but if i promise them mini-tiger woods then they might lighten up...

i wondered if the best course of action would be to engage him through the kid or talk to him directly. i turned toward them, smiling at the son, who by this time was laid out on the ground (who lies down on the ground at a carwash?) and pondered my approach. that's when i noticed the damn ring on daddio's finger. arg. i always forget to look there first. oh well. i really am not prepared to be a step-mom, so i will gladly let his wife deal with the cheeto stains. regardless, i did appreciate the gesture and the fact that he did it and had no ulterior motive made it all the more...magical. it gave me hope that there are gentleman out there...somewhere...mostly at koreatown carwashes, i imagine.