While getting out of the cab upon returning from a client meeting today, a gentleman on the street walked up to me and said “I love you, man”. I replied “Why thank you, I love you, too.”.
With that, he finished the exchange with “Well you’ve got a pretty shitty way of showing it. Now gimmee a quarter!” and went from smiling, soft-spoken man to spittle-flying-while-shouting angry man.
I think I made it worse when I started laughing. I know I shouldn’t have, but it was a ridiculous situation, and I couldn’t help myself.
You’d love Vancouver then. Recent rerouting of buses has me waiting a block or two removed from the usual stop at the end of my day. Just a few days ago I looked up when a man spoke to me only to find him inches from my face. “Honey, I just shit my pants,” he said and started to laugh. I told him to F-off and moved myself closer to the line of commuters at the stop. (Generally, folks here are into Fierceniceness — my new word for things like this. They line up quite insistently at bus stops, being careful not to take a seat out of turn. Something to behold.
Anyway, some of them had left the line and I hadn’t noticed. Which seems to have made me a prime candidate for unwelcome interactions. Bad me. I wait around the corner at a less, ah, ‘colourful’ stop now.
I think you did the best thing possible. When I get into situations like that I either laugh or just smile
Either they’ll go along with the humor of the situation, or be pissed off. A smile is as good a weapon as anything
Wise words, Ahms.
I’ve had a few of these encounters myself over the years in Vancouver too. Seeing as how my brother is schizophrenic I’m often as understanding as I can be of their situation and their mental state. However, there are times too when the situation is simply so out of context from my day-to-day that I can’t help but laugh.
These are also times when being 6’4″ and 200lbs is a real blessing too.