8. Don’t Look Now

Hello and welcome, I’m Renée Valentina and this is Musing Interruptus. A podcast meant for sharing thoughts, stories, enjoying idiomatic phrases and words in general. You can read along; the transcription is in the description of this episode. The idiomatic expressions are in italics. Try to get the meaning from the context and then look them up to see if you were right. If you like it, share it, but more importantly, continue the conversation. Today, Don’t Look Now. What a phrase! An invitation to use your other senses to perceive something or someone. It is a a warning, something might go down. Imagine, we are about to rob a bank, we’ve got our masks on, we are carrying our duffle bags for the loot. Our friend, Raúl is in the escape car, he is waiting and also on the lookout. You are wearing a Zorro mask and I am wearing a Batman mask and we are standing in line for a bank teller. It is October 31st, so everyone is in costume at the bank branch that day. We calculated that risk. I mean, in case you thought that the Zorro mask was too obvious, and how could we be standing around a bank branch wearing masks and carrying around duffle bags without alerting anyone to the upcoming heist. We had planned for everything. HOWEVER, a wrench gets thrown into our plans, as you tell me, under your breath, don’t look now, but your mother just came in through the door. I turn to you, and even though you can only see me roll my eyes, as the batman mask is covering my ever-expressive eyebrows, you know that the gig is up. We would have to wait until next year to try again. I mean, I couldn’t risk my mother recognizing…. Renée!!! Exclaims my mother, recognizing me in from behind, in my Batman mask, from across the bank branch. She walks over and says, Renée, remember to stand up straight, you used to have such beautiful posture. What do you have planned today? I saw Raúl in the car. Are you going to any parties in the evening? I love how you and your friends have not lost your sense of whimsy. Imagine that, you are all middle aged and still dress up for Halloween. Have you told your therapist about that? Mo-om! (exasperating gasp). You look a little thin Renée, are you still doing that fasting thing in my day we just called that skipping a few meals and it is a disorder. —Yeah mom, no, I’m eating alright. I’m being healthy… and if you hadn’t noticed, I was trying to be Batman, you could’ve at least played along and stayed in the alley until I came out. You laugh under your Zorro mask because, you get the reference. — That is not a very nice thing to say, you know how many people would love to have their mothers around today, me included. You should count your lucky stars. God forbid you know that pain anytime soon. —Mom, I was just joking. I pull off my mask, fully embracing there is no turning back now, I’ve been made and the whole bank branch has heard us talk. We move forward in line, I take out my id and ask to make a withdrawal. The bank teller lady looks at me, reminds me there is a withdrawal fee I could avoid if I use the ATM which is at the door. I smile and say — Thank you for the reminder, and move to the side. You, my Zorro mask-wearing friend, laugh at how the whole scene played out. We wait for my mom to make her payments, because of course, she prefers to make payments in person instead of online. That’s fine mom, I’m glad you get out once and a while. You see, I can do it too… —Can I get you kids a burger and milkshake? Mom asks. You say, thank you very much, but I am watching my diet. I say the same, why don’t we go to the Green Grass they just opened on the corner? Continue Reading