"After you, kind sir!"
It was a bit stilted and
unexpected but it was certainly mannerly! What made it more interesting was who
it came from. The kid could not have been older than ten. His parents had
clearly taught him to respect his elders. – Not that respect is automatic, but
courtesy should be.
I was at the library this weekend
and as I approached the door, the boy reached the door before me and opened it.
He then waited for me to step through it with that quaint and underused phrase.
It was such an odd contrast to the more usual treatment that I would have
expected – the treatment I got as I reached the inner door.
A kid coming from one of the side
halls that lead into the main building ran around me, bumping into me as he
went, and then opened the door wide enough for him to slip through and slammed
it behind himself. Ah! There is the rudeness I expected! All is well again with
the world.
My parents would have been
completely scandalized if I had acted like that as a kid. What am I saying? I
am sure that I did from time-to-time; they would have been scandalized had they
been there to see it and I would have gotten a whooping!
Oh well, at least one of my
encounters today was pleasant!
Wherever you are today, I hope
that you have had a pleasant and mannerly encounter.
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