stun, stun

my self-esteem is slightly less than healthy. whether this is something symptomatic of just my own slightly neurotic self or a symbol of a larger defect among women in that we do not "see" that which others see in us is debatable. the goddess girls understand this.

the night after my company's holiday party (for those politically correct, non-exclusionary types), one of my brother's coworkers approached him the next morning. my brother and i do work for the same company though in very different roles. the fact that i use my husband's name and the fact my brother and i look nothing alike throws some people off when they find out we are related. still, the coworker who happens to be russian and had approached my brother knew we were related.

the russian coworker: "mischka(not his real name), i spoke with your sister last night. she is stun, stun."

my brother replied, quite quizzically to his statement: "she is what?" after all, this is the same guy who will tell you his knee is hurting when he has a headache. english-as-a-second-language instructors really should brush up on their anatomy lessons.

the russian answers: "she is, how you say -- pretty, pretty?" while waving a big bear-like paw in front of his face.

"you mean stunning?" at this point, i'm sure my brother is getting either a little skeeved out or getting angry. although whatever brotherly-exemption he would take at this other guy's interest in his sister would be waved considering his coworker could kill him with only his pinkie finger.

"yes, she is stunning, your sister," with wide eyes and a goofy grin spreading across his face, a look that belies his strength and size, and manages to reduce this bear-like man to an oversized version of one of the seven dwarfs fantasizing about snow white.

as the russian continued to stand there and grin as if in a daze, my brother grew increasingly aggitated. "keep it rated PG, mister," he said with a poke of his finger into the russian's chest. "that's my sister, you're thinking about."

when all of this was retold to me later that evening, i had to laugh. the same brother who let his friend get off licking the side of my face. . . err, maybe i should rephrase that last part. . . the same brother who did nothing to step in when his friend licked the side of my face [much better], this sudden act of big-brother protectionism was too much to take.

while my ego did force a little backflip and a giggle at the thought that someone thought i was "stun, stun", the fact that my brother still tries to protect me years after i spent our childhood protecting him was the best part of all.