Sometimes, people don't care, and its a good thing.
I work part time for the local parks and rec commission. One time, I learned that people don't really care about what you do.
It was a normal day, I was doing my job, and everyone else was doing their job. One of my co-workers, Frank, told me the snack-bar guy had a crush on me. I thought that he was joking at the expense of the snack-bar guy (whose name I forget, and shall be called SBG). SBG was gay, and fairly open about it -- at least to me -- so I thought that the crew was just trying to have a little fun at the expense of the unpopular SBG.
Next thing I knew, I was handed a paper plate with a note on it. Frank told me it was from SBG. The note said SBG expressed an interest in me, and was signed by SBG. I dismissed it, again thinking that the crew was having fun at his expense.
I finished what I was doing, and went to the snack bar to get a refill on my soda. SBG apologized for the note, and hoped that I wouldn't hurt him physically (I weighed about the same as SBG, but had about twice the muscle mass). I was shocked to find out that the notes and the crush were real. I took a second to gather myself, and told SBG it was cool -- that I wasn't in to him, but I was flattered, and that he didn't have anything to worry about. I admired his courage in face of fear.
Afterwards, I began to get scared. Not for SBG, but for fear of the crew taunting me, for having a gay guy like me. Everyone working that night knew about the whole exchange. A few people asked me, and I told them I wasn't interested in SBG. It was never mentioned again.
I was more worried about the reaction of the others than I should have been. They just didn't care, and it wasn't about anyone other than me or SBG. Frank didn't really care, either, and he was the proxy between SBG and me at first.
People just don't care. No one did. It really didn't matter to anyone there what SBG did, or how I reacted.
Maybe it was because I didn't make a big deal out of it -- there was nothing to talk about.
Or maybe People just don't care.
After the season was over, I stopped working at that facility. (I moved on to greener pa$ture$.) I haven't seen SBG since then (this was spring 2000). Last I heard, he dropped out of high school. I've seen his sister twice at the local grocery store, but never bothered to talk to her, other than a passing 'Hi.' I can only hope SBG is okay, but I don't know. He had been beat up twice that season, and his sexuality was only part of it -- he suffered from extreme arrogance and a nasty attitude problem, which was why he was unpopular among the staff. His bad attitude showed through, but he was never rude to me, possibly because I was never rude to him.
I'm back working at that facility now. (I'm in even greener pa$ture$ now, but the facility is just a fun place to work.) Neither SBG or his sister is there now. His sister was fired, rightfully so, and the snack bar was outsourced, so I don't know what happened to him.
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