truth #3

There is a very specific type of American that I keep encountering in this new grown-up life of mine. They're usually white, middle-aged and very perky. They smile and smirk a lot, and while their sense of humor can be sarcastic, it's never truly clever or original. They use expressions like "Golly!" and "I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail" on a regular basis. When they get angry, they huff and puff and use only the mild forms of curse words. They have a learned authority, a practiced confidence and an extremely high guard. I dislike dealing with this sort of American, but recently I think I found their weakness. I mean 'weakness' very literally because it seems to only come out when they are feeling ill or in pain.
I saw this side of my former boss one day when she was suffering from a headache so severe that her eyes started to water uncontrollably. I walked into her office to ask her a question and she gave me a look of such utter fatigue and vulnerability that I felt like I was in the presence of a child that needs taking care of. I barely noticed that the tone of my voice became soft and mothering as I told her that whatever business I had to take care of could wait.
The second grade teacher I work with also falls into this category. The week before Christmas vacation she caught a mild cold and was constantly on edge with the kids. Her mildly sarcastic jokes turned to mean ridicule and neither I, nor the kids knew quite how to react. Although I felt sorry for both my boss and the teacher, I couldn't help but enjoy this theatre of humanity playing out in front of me. Their very physical condition used up so much of their energy that they found that they did not have enough left for the mental process that goes into putting up such an flawless facade of assertiveness.