Have you ever seen the show What Would You Do? on ABC? Every chance I get I try to watch it. If you don’t know of the show, the basic premise is this: a random scene is set in which something horrible happens and the viewers see how people react.
For example, they once had a clip of two drunk college students (both were actors, neither were really drunk) stumbling around, dropping their keys, and then trying to get in their car to drive away. The people around them obviously could tell the students were drunk. It shocked me to see only a few people try to stop the students while many others just laughed at them as they drove away.
This show really gets you to think about what you would do in different types of situations. In most cases these people were all complete strangers. When is it okay to step in and when is it not? This brings me to my story.
About a week ago I was working my regular shift at Pine Acres as a receptionist. There was only forty-five minutes to go until I got leave and things were finally starting to calm down. No one had been up to reception in about fifteen minutes so I took the chance to check my email. When I looked up from my computer I saw a CNA walking towards me. Thinking nothing of it, I smiled at him and went back to looking at my email. Then suddenly he was on his knees in front of my desk holding my hands. Um…awkward?
You should probably keep in mind that I have probably had an actual conversation with this CNA about two or three times. Other than that he comes up to my desk every once in awhile and asks me to order him a pizza for his break. Also, this guy is at least double my age.
After grabbing my hands, he looks me in the eye and says, “Is everything okay? I’ve just noticed that you’ve been dressing a bit different. You used to wear dresses all the time that showed off your body—and you have a nice body, a good ass and shape. It seems that you’ve lost a lot of weight. Are you anorexic?”
I didn’t know what to say. Yes, since I started working here two years ago I’ve lost weight. It’s not like I’m trying to lose weight, in fact it’s the opposite. My body just randomly decided to drop fifteen to twenty pounds and I’ve been trying to gain some back.
My question to you readers is this: was it acceptable for him to ask me that? I didn’t know if I should be appalled that he would have the audacity to ask such a thing when I’ve almost never talked to him or if I should be happy that someone was concerned with my health. Did he really think that if I was anorexic that I would tell an almost complete stranger? Did he think I would break down crying and confess all my secrets? I don’t know.
I do know that it took me a good five minutes to try and convince him that I’m not anorexic. Hell, I can eat almost as much as my boyfriend at times, sometimes more. My metabolism is just unusually high. I found a website a few weeks ago that can tell you how many calories you eat in a day. One day I ate almost five thousand calories, double what I’m supposed to. And yet, in that week I lost two pounds.
I understand people having concern about that and about my health. If I drop another six pounds, I’m going to have to go see a nutritionist. But honestly readers, in the situation above, what would you have done?
Yeah...I eat. Alot.
