Soon as the smoke alarm guy walked in the door I could tell it was this going to be this gendered father-daughter dynamic. Same vibe as with those friendly old bus drivers who call you ‘love’ and can get away with it. I don’t mind that kind of thing sometimes.
He asked why I was off work and I told him about my bike accident. He was quite kind, he told me ‘You’ll be alright, it’ll just take time. But be careful, it’s a jungle out there. There are bad motorists, there are bad cyclists. Everyone needs to watch out. ‘ He told me some story about what happened on the Nepean Highway but I wasn’t really listening.
‘You need to get trainer wheels now,’ he joked, which I actually found quite funny. So of course he repeated the gag as he left, ‘Don’t forget your trainer wheels next time!’
It’s funny, a recently ex-flame said a similar thing to me shortly after my accident (‘don’t forget your helmet next time’) and it was one of the grounds for divorce. I guess benevolent Dad-type dudes can get away with a bit.
Finnish Whaler 