Subtext in context

Beginning of my shift, young guy standing over me with his girlfriend. He looks pretty tired. "You look pretty tired," I say gently.

The guy shakes his head. "I tell you what, brother, I am tired,"is approximately what he said.

"Hey, me too, brother, but I'm here all night, so if I can make it, so can you," I say with wry resignation, slowly pumping my fist.

"Aright, man, well I'm up for it if you are,"he says, smiling a little doggedly. He and his girlfriend then go up to their room.

It's always fascinating to me to think about how two seemingly similar things can be pretty different depending on the circumstances. For instance, both he and I made pledges to stay up all night.
But while I was promising to stare blankly at a computer screen for 9 hours without crying, he was vowing to ceaselessly make love to a beautiful woman until the sun rose once more.

The same...but different.

~~~~~~~~~~

Also, I had to open bottles of wine for two different Romeos last night. I used the really cheap corkscrew that we keep at the desk, the one that looks kind of like a crackpipe. Both times, turning my back to them because I"m embarrassed to display brute strength, I popped the corks, spilled a little on myself, and handed the bottle back over. Then I sort of cocked my head, and said, "Good luck,"

And with both of them, I think there was something in the look I gave them that said, "You know I mean good luck in pleasuring your girlfriend, right?"