I did not really hear that

For all of you out there in Doctor Greunkernland who might have been wondering where I have gone, ( except for that quicky about my personal bugaboo, the geese) I have just been busy, but I am back now ( I can hear the fanfare throughout the land).



Perhaps this post would be more appropriate on another, sort-of secret site, were that site my creation. But as I feel one of my duties is to educate as well and rant and entertain, I will put it here, and maybe the blog administrator over there will steal it and put it there as well.

Yesterday I received a call on my cell. I missed the call, so I called the number back, thinking I knew who it was because it was a similar number to someone I wanted to talk to. Alas, it was a young post high school scholar from a well known Brooklyn institution of higher learning. I asked if he called me, and he informed me that someone had borrowed his phone. I asked him who, or what his name was, but I was unable to understand his terse and somewhat confusing replies. I hung up, and thought that the little unpleasant episode was over.

How wrong of me.

A few minutes later, the phone rings, and it is the same number. I pick up the phone, anticipating that all of the burning questions that were left hanging previously will now become clear to me. The caller identifies himself, thereby clearing up the confusion as to whose name was mumbled to me by the first guy, and then asked me if I was going home to the Rockland area.

As I live there, I do attempt to get home at some point, but never know exactly when. And when one arrives at work after the clock is showing double digits, five o'clock just doesn't seem fair to an employer. He tells me where he lives, which is completely on the other side of town, but I'm already out, and I can change my route, so that isn't really a big deal.

Now, dear reader, I ask you, what should be the next question? I posit to you that it should be
"Where are you, and how can I get to you, so you don't have to wait or be inconvenienced or taken out of your way, since you are doing me a favor" ( perhaps some of that could be inferred from "where are you", but, as usual, I digress)

However, the question I got was " Can you pick me up?"

I was stupefied.

I feel that is something that is for me to offer, not for this young man to ask. It would have taken me 15 minutes to get there, and ten minutes extra from there back to the highway. Not outrageous, but I am tired at the end of the day, and it could be rather late, and that is not the point anyway.

Well, I said I guess I could, but I would rather avoid driving into Boro Park if I don't have to, and besides, there is a bus that comes pretty close to me. He told me he is a suburban kid who really doesn't take city buses. ( It sounds worse than it was, he was polite and not at all obnoxious, but the whole conversation was a bit surreal). I said we'll see but I could leave anywhere from 6-8ish ( I actually left 8:45), so he said he would take an alternative route home.

What are we teaching our kids, and is no one explaining to them basic courtesy? We are told to do acts of kindness, but for kids to demand them, it seems a bit odd. I hate to put people out, and will do everything I can to avoid it, who do our children feel everything is their right??? Sometimes its just personality, but why aren't the schools these children attending stressing need to be concerned about others instead of themselves, especially when asking for a favor?


I was considering this post graduate program for one of my sons, I am glad THAT didn't work out.