Better

"So, can I ask you a personal question?" He was busy moving chairs back so the room could be cleaned after the crowd had left. We had been talking about Christmas and the huge parties held in the hotel, and the work it was to clean them up. He was incredibly chatty and seemingly became just a wee bit prouder as he explained that room care wasn't as easy as it looked. He'd caught my interest and he knew I wasn't faking my enjoyment of the chat.

Me, I was waiting. I do that a lot now. Joe is running off doing other things, getting things ready, I elect to just sit and watch the world, or occassionaly talk to one of it's inhabitants like today. I always get a little tense with the 'personal question' bit as it's often about my weight, which is personal, or my disability which is personal - depending on my mood. But I told him to go ahead and ask.

"Being in a chair must give you a different perspective on the world, huh?" This I wasn't expecting. He went on to explain that over the years many people with disabilities have sat where I was sitting waiting for someone. "Everyone seems to like to chat. One's in suits and one's in jeans, doesn't matter. Everyone chats with me."

He's a friendly guy so I said, "Well maybe it's because you are friendly and easy to talk to."

"No, that's no it because the others, the ... um ... what do you call them?"

He clearly didn't want to say 'normal', so I said, I call the two footers.

"Well, most of the two footers would just glare at me, a janitor like, talking to them, friendly doesn't work with them."

"Just so you know I've met people with disabilities who are snobs too, but I think for the most part, disability has slowed me down a bit and I now enjoy just sitting and chatting with someone. Not that long ago i would have seen it as a waste of time."

"That's sad," he said as he went back to work.

"Yep, this is better."