Close Call
What a strange day. I almost got into an accident because of my butchering of the beautiful yet incredibly difficult Somali language. After this incident…I’m definitely going to stop practising my as of non-existent Somali with Mom! So let me start from the beginning and you’ll come to understand how hopelessly pathetic I am when it comes to getting my thoughts across in my mother tongue…very very sad indeed!
Mother dearest was late picking me up from work yesterday. I was outside, enjoying the biting wind slapping my frozen face when one of my male co-workers came outside to keep me company till she arrived. The back doors of the store lead to a deserted parking lot surrounded by a thicket of trees and at 9 o'clock it was all dark and sinister looking. Not a good idea walking to the bus stop, especially for pretty, vulnerable girls *insert grin*. After sitting with me for a while he offered to drive me home but I politely declined. At that point, Mom drove up and honked the horn. I thanked him for staying with me, got into the van, and waved as we drove away. I could see him getting into his red sports car through the rear view mirror.
We were both tired and fell into a comfortable silence till I asked her if she had Vaseline or lip balm at hand. She said ‘no, why?”. I told her (in Somali) that my lips were chapped and bleeding because I kept licking them to keep them moist. The next thing I know, she suddenly presses on the brakes, narrowly misses bumping into a parked car, and screeches into a stop. She immediately whips her face around and asks with a shocked & slightly horrified look “who’s licking your lips”? Goodness gracious me! Apparently I said “he kept licking my lips” and since she saw me sitting with my coworker, that immediately came to mind. When I stopped laughing and got my tears under control I told her what I meant. She burst into relieved laughter knowing how bad I am in Somali and told me not to scare her like that again.
That was a pretty good day all in all. I think I made her day too. I could hear her bursting into spontaneous laughter whenever I passed her by. And if I’m not mistaken, I thought I heard faint laughter coming from her room as I lay down to get a good nights beauty rest.
Mother dearest was late picking me up from work yesterday. I was outside, enjoying the biting wind slapping my frozen face when one of my male co-workers came outside to keep me company till she arrived. The back doors of the store lead to a deserted parking lot surrounded by a thicket of trees and at 9 o'clock it was all dark and sinister looking. Not a good idea walking to the bus stop, especially for pretty, vulnerable girls *insert grin*. After sitting with me for a while he offered to drive me home but I politely declined. At that point, Mom drove up and honked the horn. I thanked him for staying with me, got into the van, and waved as we drove away. I could see him getting into his red sports car through the rear view mirror.
We were both tired and fell into a comfortable silence till I asked her if she had Vaseline or lip balm at hand. She said ‘no, why?”. I told her (in Somali) that my lips were chapped and bleeding because I kept licking them to keep them moist. The next thing I know, she suddenly presses on the brakes, narrowly misses bumping into a parked car, and screeches into a stop. She immediately whips her face around and asks with a shocked & slightly horrified look “who’s licking your lips”? Goodness gracious me! Apparently I said “he kept licking my lips” and since she saw me sitting with my coworker, that immediately came to mind. When I stopped laughing and got my tears under control I told her what I meant. She burst into relieved laughter knowing how bad I am in Somali and told me not to scare her like that again.
That was a pretty good day all in all. I think I made her day too. I could hear her bursting into spontaneous laughter whenever I passed her by. And if I’m not mistaken, I thought I heard faint laughter coming from her room as I lay down to get a good nights beauty rest.
Labels: Family, Funny Bone, Work
posted by Lonesome Dreamer @ 2:51 p.m.
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