Sunday, August 11, 2019

Never had this happen before!


Recently, my wife and I were seated at a diner about 150 miles from home, and the thirty-something female server with VERY short (translation: not feminine at all) hair said “Hi girls…what can I get you to drink?”  We both asked for “just water, please.”  And with that, she took off to get it for us.  I made no attempt to soften my voice, and I was wearing androgynous women’s shorts, flats, and polo top.  She may have seen my purse and nails when I walked in…but I’ll never know.

Then came the absolutely amazing part.

When she returned with our drinks, she apologized profusely for mis-gendering me, and said she simply assumed I was a girl because of “your beautiful long hair.  And I get mistaken for a boy all the time, so I know how that feels.  Once again, I’m so sorry!”   My wife remained silent (though I didn’t notice her blushing or anything like that.)   But I thanked the server for her compliment about my hair, and accepted her apology (though I wasn’t at all offended…LOL!)   She treated us very well the rest of our meal, arranged for an extra big helping of dessert, and we left a nice tip.  

Usually once I’m accepted as a girl, most folks continue that acceptance, even once the revelation strikes them that I’m not what I seem to be.  So this was very unusual…and my wife was also surprised.  (But after it happened, she didn’t mention it again.  Nothing else was said.)

On to the next topic:

During a recent trip through PA, we managed to become prosperous!  As long as that condition can be achieved by visiting Prosperity…a tiny Pennsylvania “burg” by that name.  Not a big town by any means (and it’s halfway between nowhere and nowhere else), but there is still an open post office, and some of the homes are old but very pretty.  A picture of the post office is below:


Legend has it that the name came from the enthusiasm of the original settlers, who were anxious to do well in the future.  So they named their town “Prosperity.”    Can’t say that their plan worked, but the place was far from decrepit, as so many rural communities are. 

I guess it all depends on your interpretation of “prosperity.”

More later…

Mandy



6 comments:

  1. That was a very interesting exchange you had with the server. I suppose that because she was often misgendered as a guy and it may have bugged her she went out of her way to make sure she set the record right with you...although it seems that both you and your wife are generally OK with whatever pronoun a stranger uses to address you.

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    1. As you say, I'm fine with Ma'am or "no gender-specific" greetings. If I'm out with my wife, I tolerate "Sir" because she prefers that. However I'd really prefer one of the other two choices.

      And then there are the folks who just get their kicks using "Sir" all the time. I ignore them.

      I suspect many of us have the same thoughts...

      Mandy

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  2. Hi Mandy, I've been catching up with your blog. It's always good to hear that most people treat you as a woman on your travels, even if you're not presenting as Mandy. Looking forward to more of your interesting journeys. Sue x

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    1. Thanks! I hope to have more posts one of these days...things have been very busy. And I don't get out as much as I'd like.

      Hugs,

      Mandy

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    2. Sue, please email me at your convenience at amandanicolesherman (I'll finish this address in another reply, for obvious reasons.)

      Thanks!

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