Random Encounters

Part of living the TSV is dealing with random conversations about your marital status, or rather, your lack of being married. I've gotten quite good at shrugging these things off with a, "I'm enjoying living God's plan for me right now." End conversation. But sometimes, people just don't stop.

Take my landlord. From the first time I met her to pick up my keys, her first question was....are you married? It has been her only question since then. Recently, when I needed to re-sign my lease, I did so at her place of employment. She's a perfectly pleasant, somewhat older Chinese lady. And this is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, I'm here to sign my lease! Your husband left a message.

Her: Oh! Hi. I not recognize you. You get skinny. Look tired. You still work?

Me: Yes, still working. Long hours recently.

Her: Oh, no good. I no recognize you....too tired.

Me: I know. I'm glad to be re-signing my lease, though! It's nice to live close to my office.

Her: You still no married?

Me: No, I still live there by myself.

Her: Oh...no married. Why you no married? Why you not meet nice boy?

Me: I don't know...maybe I work too much.

Her: Not work so much. Meet nice boy. Get married.

Me: Thank you for letting me re-sign.

Her: You stay until get married.

Me: Umm...great. I need to get going. Have a great weekend.

Suffice it to say, it was not one of my shining moments. You see, if I genuinely didn't want to be married, I would be able to say so. And as funny as the encounter was, she was asking really difficult questions--like, why haven't I met a nice boy. It was a humorous reminder to always have faith in the plan.