"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
>> Cute story: Sister Irene was divesting of her late husband's clothes at
>> a garage sale. He favored (Ready? Set? GUFFAW!!) clip-on ties. There
>> were a couple racks of them. A group of several Hispanic folks
>> (Mexican? Probably.) came and inspected the sale, accompanying their
>> perusing with chatter in the mother tongue. I understood about every
>> 4th word but said nothing. When they left, I followed them down the
>> driveway with a small toy for the little girl in the group - "Para la
>> niña." Several jaws dropped and they hurried off. It was clear to me
>> that they thought I'd understood all of their poking fun at my late
>> BIL's things.
>> http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-22-05
>
> Same thing with us at restaurant in Montreal, L'Express, where some
> charming young women were looking over at us a lot. We were so close that
> the waiter could barely get thru. I'm sure they understood everything we
> were saying and maybe were yukking it up about it; I don't know, but we
> suspected possibly they were.
> When we were ready to leave I had a little conversation with the waiter in
> French. The same thing you mentioned happened. They had lowered heads
> until we left; but I'm sure they had a good time after we left. I hope
> they did. It was a cute situation.

You just reminded me of my graduation from nursing school. Several couples
had rented hotel rooms and were getting ready for the ball. Fiancé and I
wandered into a room where a fellow Francophone and I started babbling in
French, Denise asking if as planned I'd done without undies to prevent panty
line from showing through my clingy gown. When I said "No, I'm feeling sick
and not risking passing out without underwear" she went into a rant about
how she wasn't wearing any because we'd all agreed to go regimental, blah,
blah, blah, all the while trying to attach a boutonniere on her very
confused looking, non-French speaking date's jacket. After watching her
fumble with the carnation my fiancé goes to her and says in perfect French
"Would you like me to help you with that, Denise?" She turned 8 different
shades of red and yelled "Oh shit! You speak French?!?!?" I never told her
that he hadn't heard her comments and had asked me later why she blushed
like that.

Gabby