There are moments in life when you realize, ah, things have changed.
I had that moment yesterday at the vending machine near my office.
I had only brought enough change to buy a Diet Pepsi — the campus has a contract with Pepsi, otherwise I would have gotten a Diet Coke — but the machine was out. I tried to get my change back, but it didn’t work. So I stood there, annoyed that I’d have to choose between a bottle of water or Hawaiian Punch, neither of which had the caffeine I needed.
Two male students in their 20s were standing near the vending machines. One had heard me exhale in irritation and asked what happened. So I told him. Then came “the moment.”
Fifteen years ago he might have come over, offered to help in some way, maybe sacrificed his last $1.40 to get me the Diet Pepsi I so desperately wanted.
Instead, he said, “Ho, that sucks, aunty.”
I have officially lost it. Whatever “it” was.
It’s not the first time I’ve been called aunty. All of my friends’ kids call me that. And, I’ll be honest, I call a lot of people that, too, men included. It’s a way for me to get over the fact that I’m no longer “sister,” as a memorable column by Lee Cataluna once lamented. I’m aunty now. I need to accept it.
Still, it was hard to hear yesterday. Though I think if he had ponied up two bucks, I would have quickly forgiven him.
2 Comments
Ouch! Well, to me, you don’t look it, and you certainly don’t act it. But the situation kind of reminds of the movie, “40 Carats,” which just played on TMC last night. It’s the movie about the relationships and age differences. Everything works out in the end — at least in the movies ….
Nice blog, BTW ….