Member-only story
Tiny Humour Splash #34
Status Is Everything
Well, maybe not THAT tiny a humour splash
A Japanese boy called Takahiro joined my children's school and made friends with my son. His mother repeatedly asked me at the school gate: "What does your husband do?" I told her I did not have a husband, but she seemed unable to grasp this concept and kept asking me what he did for a living.
Someone told me she was trying to determine my "status" and whether I was above or below her.
One day, she came to collect Takahiro after a play date, and I invited her into my kitchen, where there were two lodgers and a friend. She pointed to Phil and said: "Who are you?" Quick as a flash, Phil replied: "I am the gardener."
Next, she rounded on Ashley, who was cooking at the time. "I am the cook," came the reply.
"And who are you?" she bluntly demanded of Steve, who didn't live in the house and had only popped round for a cup of tea: "I am the handyman," he responded.
The next day I received an enormous ikebana flower arrangement from her. It is the only time anyone has ever believed I had status.
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©Annie Trevaskis 2022. All Rights Reserved
