rivka

...from the checkout clerk in the J.C. Penney's men's department. She was a perfectly nice and attentive salesperson - for example, she went to considerable effort to refold a shirt I was buying so it would look nice in the box. But when I went to sign the credit slip she asked me,

"Oh, were you born left-handed, or did you have to switch?"

*bemused headshake*

I am so honestly puzzled. What on earth could she possibly think had happened to my right arm? What kind of catastrophic illness or injury happens after a person has learned to write, and leaves her with one arm half as long as the other and a small but well-formed hand? I mean, if I'd had an amputation it would be an obvious (if overly personal) question, but my right hand is clearly present and, well, hand-shaped.

Did I have to switch? Yeah, after the horrible accident in the lab with the shrinking ray. It's so kind of you to bring back the memory.

(No, it's not what I said. I didn't feel like going into my frosty how-dare-you mode either, so I just said something noncommittal. But honestly...)