Earlier today, towards the end of the regular working hours, I was getting my 8-9th cup of coffee of the day and was having a slightly awkward chat with Cpt. Awkward about some recent issue. A few meters away, hanging around and waiting for his turn, stood the Shadow, a character that so far have not yet gotten any space here on the blog, but it's a 50+ older balding man working in finance, quite gaunt and withdrawn, not very outgoing, but friendly enough when approached. As far as I know, the Shadow has never been married and seem to be quite shy around ladies. The Shadow and Cpt. Awkward seem to get along quite well on the other hand, possibly because they're closer to each other in terms of age.As me and Cpt. Awkward were chatting, one of the recent hires left the office doing the polite "forgive me for leaving you all behind to do the real work as I go out and play while you stay and do the work that I should have done" ("お先に失礼します") courtesy phrase before heading out to bigger and better things. The guy is very tidy, extremely polite and dresses very "correct" (very conservative suits with very conservative neckties) and seems like a nice enough guy albeit perhaps a bit stiff. He also has a name that is very similar to one of the more well known veterans in the company.
So as he leaves, I casually give an off-hand comment saying "I feel a bit sorry for that guy, it must be inconvenient for him to have a name that sounds so similar to Mr. X.". Cpt. Awkward gives an awkward laugh and hums in agreement, then, all of a sudden, from the shadows behind us, the Shadow quite loudly says "That guy is SO gay" followed by a giggle. Cpt. Awkward seem a bit taken aback by the awkwardness of the sudden comment and stutters out "well, he seems to be very tidy indeed". Not particularly finding this a conversation interesting enough to engage in, I take my coffee and stroll back to my seat, but can't help that be impressed that the Shadow outdid even Cpt. Awkward in terms of awkwardness...
Posts
7 comments:
Who knows what gayness lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows!
I'd have choked on whatever was in my mouth... Even if it was just air. Awesome.
Oh, I always thought "お先に失礼します" meant "so long suckers, see you about 10am tomorrow morning".
Anyway, how exactly did The Shadow express "That guy is SO gay"?
Yeah, did he mean gay in the "good way" or the "Bad way"?
Great stuff! The code is unlocked, tidy = gay apparently.
I really enjoy reading your blog. Lived 10 years in Japan but moved home to California but the Japanese wife and I have a new daughter as well so I enjoy the bits about your daughter as well.
Blue Shoe - yeah, that guy must have some sophisticated gaydar equipment!
William - Well, it was quite unexpected so it took a few seconds before it sunk in
Octo - In Japanese it was something like: あれ、絶対オカマ ふふふ - note the use of calling him an "it" and using the okama instead of gei.
Martin - Well, in the "he's not a real manly man like us manly man but a girlie boy" so good or bad depending on how you look at it
McLucky - Happy to hear you find stuff you like here, always nice to see a new commentor and get a feel for who actually reads the blog! Baby Sunshine is anything but tidy though
Mr. Salaryman! Forgive me, I have been absent of late. Too much moving. You have a daughter already? My goodness, that was fast. Congratulations. I wish all of you the very best.
As always, your posts and graphics make me laugh out loud.
Post a Comment