I once paid the price for opening a door for a lady walking in behind me. Well, as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. And as it happens, I seem to be a slow learner, so I have yet another tale of woe to tell.
I was going to lunch with a friend of mine, and I had offered to drive. This was actually the first time that I had ever given her a ride, since she usually was against the idea of walking all the way to the other side of the parking lot. Given that, she was unaware of my usual habits.
See, I routinely open the passenger side door for other people. It's just another one of those little quirks I have (along with opening doors for people), but it's an ingrained habit. So, I opened her door and then walked over to the driver's side. She looked at me a little funny, but didn't say anything.
We had lunch, and then we walked back out to the car. Again, I opened her door and then walked over to the other side. This time, however, she said something, "wait, is that the only way to get in to your car?"
Think about that, rather than assume I was just being polite, she assumed that there was a mechanical problem with my car. Now, I drive an older car, but it's not that old. Most people don't assume that it is falling apart when they see it. She, however, immediately jumped to this conclusion because the alternative was just too incredible to believe.
I'm tempted to go open the door on the driver's side first the next time I give this friend a ride, just to prove a point. Unfortunately, that'd go counter to my ingrained habits. It's a tough world out there for good deeds.
I was going to lunch with a friend of mine, and I had offered to drive. This was actually the first time that I had ever given her a ride, since she usually was against the idea of walking all the way to the other side of the parking lot. Given that, she was unaware of my usual habits.
See, I routinely open the passenger side door for other people. It's just another one of those little quirks I have (along with opening doors for people), but it's an ingrained habit. So, I opened her door and then walked over to the driver's side. She looked at me a little funny, but didn't say anything.
We had lunch, and then we walked back out to the car. Again, I opened her door and then walked over to the other side. This time, however, she said something, "wait, is that the only way to get in to your car?"
Think about that, rather than assume I was just being polite, she assumed that there was a mechanical problem with my car. Now, I drive an older car, but it's not that old. Most people don't assume that it is falling apart when they see it. She, however, immediately jumped to this conclusion because the alternative was just too incredible to believe.
I'm tempted to go open the door on the driver's side first the next time I give this friend a ride, just to prove a point. Unfortunately, that'd go counter to my ingrained habits. It's a tough world out there for good deeds.
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