Another lovely day...though I'm told this summer-preview will soon be over, and we'll be back to rain-as-usual.
Across from me, here at Roma, a 40-something guy sits talking to a boy of around seven or eight. An odd conversation...the kid is interrogating the guy about his work experience. The guy leans slightly forward, hands clasped, in job-interview attitude. The kid, clearly controlling the conversation, lolls back in his chair and fiddles with the straw. Is the kid looking to hire the guy? Two possibilities:
--The guy is an absentee, workaholic father who is making a concerted effort to improve communications with his kid.
--The guy is courting the kid's mother, and bonding with the kid is an essential step in his programme.
My money is on #2. In either case, the guy is clearly unsure how to relate to the kid, and has made the decision to relate to him no differently than he would to an adult. I give him points for this: better than the alternative fake-hearty putting-on-a-show and talking down to the kid option.
"To be honest with you, I have a difficult time relating to coworkers except as employees." What does a seven-year-old make of such a statement?
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