After I donated blood, I went to Beulahland, a bar and restaurant I like on NE 28th between Couch and Davis. I ate a cheap grilled-cheese sandwich, drank lots of water, and soaked up the loud ambiance (the bar was hosting a meet-up of people who called themselves "DMob": they had stickers and T-shirts, so you know they're serious). I then went over to the guy using the computer that's available for patrons and said "May I use that after you're done?" "Sure," he said. "Take your time," I said, and went away to sit. I read a bit from a bit, I read bits from the day's newspaper, and I did a crossword, because I was waiting longer and longer and the guy at the computer was still using it. And taking a while. And not showing any signs of wrapping up what he was doing.
He'd gone beyond "taking his time" by then. And I got annoyed. Is this going to be an issue? Am I going to ask him again to use it and this time he'll say "no"? Is he going to be rude about it? Am *I* going to get rude about it? I could picture myself saying "I asked to use it a while ago." And I could picture him this time saying "So?" And I could picture me arguing rudely with him, while he stayed on the computer.
I was letting drama breed in my head, assuming that the situation would escalate like a Seinfeld plot, only not funny. ("Seinfeld was never funny," I hear
kradical say...) OK, Chris: you're an adult, don't be childish, and don't assume he'll be childish.So I went up and asked him "Hey, how much longer do you think you'll need?" And he looked up and said "Whoa. I'm sorry. I spaced on you being there."
Okay. I could understand that. I've had space-out moments like that. He said he'd wrap up right then; I thanked him, and things were fine. And I hadn't had to whine. I also resisted asking why he'd forgotten, because while I was a little annoyed that he'd forgotten, I'd probably have expressed that a little rudely. Don't make the guy feel bad, Chris, if you don't need to.
See? I can be a mature adult. And if the guy had made an issue of it, had decided just to keep working, I hope I would've been a mature adult while saying Come on, man, not cool.
My hang-ups, ladies and gentlemen. I worry about arguing, that I'm going to do it badly and unfairly. Or in a whining way. And I do not like how I sound when I whine.
"Don't make me whiny. You wouldn't like me when I'm whiny." Not as good a line as Bill Bixby's, right?
