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Conversations you don't expect
10 years ago
General
This morning I dropped by the post office to pick up a package, delivery notice in hand. I was early, having slightly misjudged the opening time of the local branch, but sure as would be the doors opened at 8:30 on the dot and in I walked.
Without a moment's hesitation I slid the notice across the counter, hoping I hadn't misinterpreted the date written on the back indicating when my package would be available.
She took the slip of paper and examined it front and back, doing the same with my ID before handing the latter back and taking the former to the back room to find the package it matched.
It wasn't long before she returned, dropping he package on the counter with a solid thud. "So what's in this anyways?" she asked casually, and I wondered how much she expected an answer.
It was early enough in the morning that the question was likely an honest one, but I wasn't in a revealing mood. "Just some stuff," I replied, dodging the question while trying not to imply that any unspoken boundaries had been crossed.
"The packing list says there's 5 rings, so I wasn't expecting something this big and heavy." she continued, my non-answer not breaking her stride.
"Oh, yeah, they're not that kind of ring." I explained, not tipping my hand to anything that wasn't already obvious.
She considered the package for a moment, and nodded in a feigned understanding. "I suppose that 'rings' could mean just about anything, it guess they're not quite as picky about labeling these things over in China as we are here."
"Yeah, you know how it is." I replied, carefully leading the conversation into a dead end. I signed the electronic pad with a half-hearted scrawl and as she slid the package across the counter I wanted to believe that she was as wholesome and innocent as grandma's home cooked Sunday meals.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that she knew exactly what kind of 'rings' were hidden under the layers of packing and bubble wrap, that she knew all too well the muffled jingle they made as they rattled against each other. She knew exactly what 'Kevin' from Xi'an was in the business of making, because she'd seen these packages pass through her hands before. Surely most were destined for fine, upstanding postal customers as myself, but maybe a choice few would even be addressed with her name on it.
If she did know, she didn't let on, just giving me a courteous smile and wishing me an obligatory good day as I grabbed my 12 lbs of BDSM gear and headed out the door.
Without a moment's hesitation I slid the notice across the counter, hoping I hadn't misinterpreted the date written on the back indicating when my package would be available.
She took the slip of paper and examined it front and back, doing the same with my ID before handing the latter back and taking the former to the back room to find the package it matched.
It wasn't long before she returned, dropping he package on the counter with a solid thud. "So what's in this anyways?" she asked casually, and I wondered how much she expected an answer.
It was early enough in the morning that the question was likely an honest one, but I wasn't in a revealing mood. "Just some stuff," I replied, dodging the question while trying not to imply that any unspoken boundaries had been crossed.
"The packing list says there's 5 rings, so I wasn't expecting something this big and heavy." she continued, my non-answer not breaking her stride.
"Oh, yeah, they're not that kind of ring." I explained, not tipping my hand to anything that wasn't already obvious.
She considered the package for a moment, and nodded in a feigned understanding. "I suppose that 'rings' could mean just about anything, it guess they're not quite as picky about labeling these things over in China as we are here."
"Yeah, you know how it is." I replied, carefully leading the conversation into a dead end. I signed the electronic pad with a half-hearted scrawl and as she slid the package across the counter I wanted to believe that she was as wholesome and innocent as grandma's home cooked Sunday meals.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that she knew exactly what kind of 'rings' were hidden under the layers of packing and bubble wrap, that she knew all too well the muffled jingle they made as they rattled against each other. She knew exactly what 'Kevin' from Xi'an was in the business of making, because she'd seen these packages pass through her hands before. Surely most were destined for fine, upstanding postal customers as myself, but maybe a choice few would even be addressed with her name on it.
If she did know, she didn't let on, just giving me a courteous smile and wishing me an obligatory good day as I grabbed my 12 lbs of BDSM gear and headed out the door.
"Sex toys."
"Oh."
and they're left wondering about that all day long. XD