“What’s your name?” she asked. “I know your music but what is-”
“Steven Curtis Chapman.”
“No,” she grinned, “I know his face. I know your face too but I can’t remember-”
“Shaun,” I said, blushing.
“Yes! Shaun Groves! I’ve seen you before but never had the guts to – but I saw you here and I just had to-”
“What’s your name?” I asked, and she told me and then she told me how much a song of mine meant to her years ago when she’d first heard it. She was a “new Christian” back then and she didn’t know much Christian music but a friend had given her my CD and it meant a lot to her.
I introduced her to Becky. I didn’t want her to think I was there by myself. We were running an errand at the end of a date – together.
And then there was more talk about music and God and with every word she spoke I felt my face getting more and more red. I didn’t know what to do with my hands or what to say or how to stand. Get yourself together, man! I kept thinking, but I just couldn’t.
Becky blushed as well and eventually wandered off slowly, pretending to be interested in something around the corner until finally the conversation slowed to an awkward pause, I thanked the lady for her kind words and we parted ways.
Right there in the Valentine’s Day lingerie section of the Super Target.
Right there among the red bras and panties.
Right.
There.
You are the lucky one huh?
I remember in Basic Training a similarly embarrassing incident with our TI (Air Force for Drill Instructor). He was young (about 23 or so), married, with a baby girl.
He was attempting to demonstrate the proper procedure for folding the contents of our clothing drawer. Yes, the military even has a certain way to fold undies. He told our Dorm Chief to go get one of everything that goes into the drawer so he could show us what we needed to know.
She came back with a towel, washcloth, pair of socks, and a t-shirt. She also brought along a barely there, red lacy bra and matching red lace thong she’d managed to get out of civilian lock-up somehow(all clothing was “regulation” in Basic after all). She cleverly hid them until last.
His face matched the color of the undies perfectly! He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even finish the demonstration. He through them down and as he left for the night, said “figure it out for yourselves.”
That was the most fun we had in 6 weeks!
I’m usually so reserved. I don’t usually laugh out loud at work. But that. Was seriously. Funny.
Thanks for sharing, and God bless you!
I agree…seriously funny!
Now that is a great story!! very very funny. That would be me except only my ears get red when I’m blushing or embarrassed.
haha.. that is classic.
So, as your face turned red, did you slowly fade into the scenery?
As they say, it’s all about location and timing.
Why don’t the errands we run ever end in the lingerie section? YOU GUYS SHOULD DO A MARRIAGE CONFERENCE!
Oh.my.gosh. I laughed. Sorry – that was funny – too funny.
Awesome!
Great story!
Cheer up, it could have been worse. At least she was not suggestively toying with the items on display.
Did I mention this woman says she just started going to our church? Yep. I think I forgot to mention that. So the embarrassment will go on week after week after week…
Wow! Now she is going to know your family uses under garments.
Maybe you can tell her next Sunday that you were cutting though that section to look at anti-diarrheal medication and that your family does not own anything they sell in that section.
The really embarrassing thing about this is that the world now knows that you buy your wife lingerie at Target. What? Was K-Mart closed? Are you going to get her silk roses too? Maybe hit a hospital cafeteria for Valentines Dinner?
yeah. i’m kidding. but it is pretty funny.
So she’s probably blogging about the experience right now.
Here’s an idea to go with your lingerie from Target:
The candlelit Valentine’s Day dinners that Waffle House offered last year in suburban Atlanta were so successful the chain is expanding them this year to 32 restaurants.
Pink signs will invite customers to “get scattered, smothered and covered” in romance. Reservations are encouraged, as people figure to be looking for inexpensive dates in hard times.
LOL. This is why I love your blog. Well, this and all those convicting posts about people in poverty.
LOL times two. Once at Shaun, and once at Ron.
Beautiful.
I think we just found the perfect location for our next set of promo pictures for you. “Shaun in his natural habitat.”
I feel your pain…I really do!
True story:
My hubby used to be on staff at a large church as worship pastor before we moved with the goal of church planting.
A few years back we were at the church staff Christmas party talking to the Executive Pastor about our new phones. I pointed out that I loved the camera feature and that hubby and I had been having fun sending pictures to each other through the phones.
At this point, our executive pastor…my husband’s boss looked me straight in the eye and said “You know, you really need to be careful about sending pictures through your phone” to which I STUPIDLY replied “WHY? Are they not private?” After he looked at me blankly for an awkward moment he came back with “Well…I was going to say that those picture texts can get pretty expensive if your phone plan does not include them…but what kind of pictures ARE you sending anyway?”
Awesome…one of my best and most shining moments lived out right in front of my husband’s boss – and our Pastor. Simply stellar!
I can’t even tell you how happy this story makes me.
Yes! Bonus points for trying to pin it on Steven Curtis Chapman!
Nothing like running into your pastor with unmentionables in your shopping cart. It’s my FAVORITE.
See now I pictured y’all in a coffee shop until the end. Hysterical!
I’m sorry, 2 days later and I’m still laughing like crazy. I don’t know which is better, the story or the comments!
LOVE this! Real life happens…
can’t beat it!
…so where’s the Scripture that says “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble(d)????LOL!!! Funny story, and oh so funny comments, too……just keep on keeping it real, ok????
Suzanne
You know she is totally reading this and is going to call you out on it when she sees you at church!
great story!!!
Beautiful.
I can so feel your pain. I am a college professor in a small town and shop for undies out of town specifically so the check out clerk won’t be a student.
Definitely Top 5 funny! So awesome of you to tell this story!
Um, yah… You linked it, I had to look. The best laugh all day. Especially what Ron Woods said. That was LOL funny.
I do what I can to keep you kids entertained.
Like Amy said, you linked it! Thanks for the great laugh!
Too funny. I’m a college professor in a small town, and you now know why I drive 40 minutes to another town anytime I need lingerie. Nothing like having one of your current or former students know the details of your romantic undies.