Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Pink Shirts

I had a "you know your old when" moment yesterday. On the way home from the bus, I passed by a murder of smart-alec teenagers (smart-alec teenagers being just like crows, as it were). I overhead one of them pass comment on my pink dress shirt.

Now at the time I had my most natural reaction, which of course was "If I was a smart-alec teenager I'm not sure I would pass comment out loud about an old guy's shirt. Especially of the old guy was twice my size. At least until he was out of ear shot. Probably."

And then it occurred to me, as I walked the remaining block or so to my abode, that much like most young people, he didn't really mean anything by it because he couldn't see past the pinkness of the shirt (which was obviously clashing with his vision of adult guy-ness). It occurred to me that it was very likely that the young fellow had not yet been in a serious relationship. He had most likely not had someone else, out of affection, buy him a pink shirt.

He would not then have worn his pink shirt, realizing that he had just become the target of every murder of smart-alec teenagers he walks past, to reciprocate that affection. And I smiled with satisfaction realizing that most likely someday, someone important to him would buy him a pink shirt. And then, it will not matter to him either.

Assuming he could keep his smart-alec remarks to himself long enough to get a date that is.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay, are we talking a pale salmon pink here or more of a bright fushia?

just saying is all

JP said...

We are talking a true pink. Not fuscia, not mauve, not hot pink, and not salmon. Actual, pure spot on pink.

Pink enough.

Not even "lightish-red".