This week, I really was sick. As in, I slept on the bathroom floor Monday night. And I didn't walk more than 5 feet all day Tuesday. And I didn't eat any substantial food until Friday morning. Argh.
Bonus - I did lose 5 pounds in 36 hours. Which means that I need the stomach flu before any major event where I need to wear a nice dress.
Unfortunately, 2 sick days in 2 weeks caused some gossip at work. Which really shocked me. I'm living in a country where most Americans are afraid to drink the water, not to mention actually LIVE here, eating and drinking multiple times each day. So one would think that a little illness would be believable, even acceptable. Oh, no, I was SO wrong!
I had forgotten two things:
1. Mexicans ask really personal questions.
2. Good baptist women are supposed to have as many babies as possible, as soon as possible.
Neither of these things was in the front of my mind on Wednesday, when I was definitely still too sick to work, but too bored to stay home. So, imagine my surprise at the copy machine when a fellow teacher - the director's wife - asks me, none too softly:
"Since you're married, could you be pregnant?"
OH MY GOD YOU DID NOT JUST ASK ME THAT QUESTION!
It was a good thing I was sick. My mind was too ill to remember what horrors I would normally explode onto a person who asked me that question.
"Um, no." i was hoping to answer with more suave grace, but oh, well. "not at all"
Instead of apologizing, letting the question drop, sharing sympathy for my stomach flu, or anything else nice, she continues with not one, not two, but THREE more stories:
- a slightly modified explation of the birds& the bees, accounting for my possible ignorance of the effects of antibiotics on birth control's effectiveness
- a story about her one infertile friend who cried each time she got her period for years but then "miraculously" got pregnant
and finally,
- a detailed description of her own high-risk pregnancy, including medical interventions that may be impossible to receive in a developing country.
I COULD NOT MAKE THIS UP IF I TRIED!
Not only did she imply that I did not understand my own medical history, but also that I may not understand the basic concepts of reproduction after nearly 5 years of marriage. Not only did she consider the fact that I may be infertile, but wanted to bring this up in front of another teacher and then imply that a miracle could happen at any time. Not only did she share a pregnancy story with a woman who just explained that she's NOT pregnant, but she insisted on highlighting everything that could go wrong with a pregnancy, just in case I wasn't worried about that while living abroad.
Nice.
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2 comments:
oh, kelly.. I learned a long time ago, in regards to possible pregnancies, loss of pregnancies, future pregnancies, wishing for pregnancy, actually being pregnant... people say the dumbest thing. You have to remember that they A. Mean well B. Don't know how dumb/innapropiate they are C. think they are really saying something deep and helpful and perhaps comforting. It's generally best to smile and nod your head. :)
We had the flu here too last week... I took a pregnancy test after being sick for two weeks myself... it was the flu for me too.
ahhhh
*sigh*
thank you so much! your comment makes me feel truly better. :) Not that you had the flu, of course, but that someone understands! I know you had it much worse than me, so I don't mean to whine too much. Mainly, it's hilarious, when my feelings aren't too hurt.
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