Tuesday, June 20, 2006

I'm a hotty. Not.

I used to think I was a real hotty, especially in France. Really. Because guys (and some women too) were checking me out all the time. What an ego boost. Although I did notice that it was mostly when I was in my car, waiting at a stoplight. Hmm. I wondered why. Maybe the French guys were shy (yeah right) and felt less vulnerable gazing openly from the safety of their cars. Maybe knowing they only had a few minutes until the light changed made them feel reckless and daring. Maybe the plaid fabric of my seat brought out the green in my blue eyes.

Until the day I realized it was none of those things.

In the US, stoplights are high up. Either hanging over intersections or up on big posts on the corners. In France, they are also high up, on corners, and always lined up with the line (Yes, I know that sounds weird but I didn't know how else to say it.) designating where to wait.

But.

There is also another smaller set of lights, nearly eye level with drivers, on either or both sides of an intersection. I never really paid attention to them, I was just used to looking up for the lights.

One day, I stopped a little too close to the line. And so decided to back up a little, for the comfort of the pedestrians. There was a fine young man in the car next to mine and his eyes had not left my face since we had stopped. He thought I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, I could tell. Imagine my surprise when his eyes did not follow as I backed my car up. I turned my head to see what the heck he was looking at. Duh. The low-level stoplight.

All those guys (and women) were just looking at the light, waiting for it to turn green.

When I told Husband about my mistake, he laughed non-stop for 15 minutes.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You were still (and are) a hotty!

Nicole said...

You're so sweet Beth. You're still a hotty too, belly and all.

Lorraine said...

Bad Husband. Bad, bad Husband. He should have had the decency to leave the room before he started laughing after telling you that "of course" they were checking you out. ROTFL!

Anonymous said...

Come on even I noticed the short lites, just a little more of your princess coming out.

Nicole said...

Lorraine - That's what I told him.

Zeb - I didn't say I didn't notice them, I just never pay any attention to them. Good way to get a crick in your neck.

Nicole said...

Christi - Classic French or classic me? Just kidding, I know you're mocking me again.

Nicole said...

Christi - yeah, right.

Lex Lata said...

Hmm . . . between this post and the last one, I'm sure someone can come up with a joke about headlights.

Grish said...

LOl, how funny.

Nicole said...

Pat - I know, I guess I kind of go through blog phases, food blog then t&a blog...

Grish - I can see you would've laughed like Husband.

Anonymous said...

When you first started driving in France did you ever turn right on red? I did that all the time and people thought I was just being a dare-devil American but really it's because I had no idea you aren't supposed to do that.

Nicole said...

Wifey - Actually, no. Because I had to get a French driver's license. Learn the code, take the test, the whole bit. They don't make you do that if you're here temporarily, but when you come to stay you've got to get one of theirs. But sometimes even now I really WANT to turn right on red because it doesn't make any sense not to. Right, tell that to the policeman who'll pull me over.

Amy said...

Something similar happened to me, although not of the vehicular variety... But one day I noticed, hey... I am lookin' goooood, i mean real goooood... there's hardly a soul walking by - man or woman - who can keep their eyes off my fine b-hind.

When I got home I realized that what they were actually looking at was the long WHITE strip running down the back of my leg - which clearly indicated the SIZE of PANTS I was wearing.... (and also indicated I hadn't washed them prior to use)....

Sigh...