...in which I almost get asked out over crickets.
So, this took place a little while ago, but I forgot to post about it and was reminded today.
Once, when I was working Petcare (the shift in charge of critter upkeep and the aquatics/feeders desk), I was chatting with some of the regulars who come in for hundreds of crickets at a time to feed their bearded dragon/leopard gecko/what have you collections. As I handed off the bag to the woman waiting, she shuddered and asked me how I could stick my hand in a big enclosure full of crickets. I just told her that I found bugs fascinating and, when she gave me that "you're a crazy person, aren't you?" look, that I thought of them as lizard-sized turkeys that jumped. Her husband/boyfriend winked at me as he took the bags away and said something to the effect of "See? Told you you were being a wuss."
I began to protest that it wasn't a matter of being a wuss, but rather that I found them pretty neat, but another customer came up and asked me to bag a dozen or so of the big guys. When the guy from the couple asked him why so few, he just shrugged and said "She only eats every couple of days, anyway."
Intrigued by this subtly cute and softspoken guy with a sleeve tattoo that called his nonmammal pet "she" rather than "it," I asked what he was feeding.
It took him a second to answer, as if he was often asked this question and because of experience was considering lying, but he rubbed the bridge of his nose and said "Tarantula."
"Fun!" I said as a few hapless little hoppers freefalled from my scoop into the bag. "Pink-toe?"
He started, looking at me in genuine (albeit pleased) surprise. "Rose hair. You like tarantulas?"
Then the woman from the couple made a face. "Tarantulas? Aren't they spiders?"
At this, the tarantula guy seemed to shift a little - like he was used to this reaction, but not about to say anything. So I did.
"Actually," I said, "A lot of people that keep reptiles keep arachnids like spiders and scorpions. They're tamable, and females can live upwards of ten years."
"Females?" she asked. "What about the males?"
"Males live maybe a quarter as long," I said, counting the squirmy little entrees, "maybe because they're useless outside of mating, or maybe because they're a lot smaller and easier to squash."
Tarantula-guy grinned, and the woman turned pointedly to the Man Who Was Muscular. "Huh," she said thoughtfully. "I think I like these spiders."
"You're not getting one into my house," he said as they left, and she started poking him in the ribs and calling him a wuss.
I finished bagging the crickets and pulled out my trusty sharpie to label the bag for the cashier to read. You usually memorize the cricket UPCs after your first day on register, but still.
Since it was pretty dead, tarantula-guy stuck around for a bit as I did paperwork on the desk, swapping tarantula stories and telling smug one-liners about the doomed fate of the helpless crickets.
After a while, he looked at me - still with the remnants of what looked like surprise and wonder on his face - and said "You know, this is pretty new. I don't really meet a lot of girls who like tarantulas, even when I come to get crickets."
"Well," I said, "They're small and furry and eat things that are noisy. I keep an open mind, but that one's easy."
He laughed and agreed, then said his farewells and turned toward the registers. A few steps away, he paused and turned around to look at me thoughtfully, as if considering something bordering on very important, but shook it off and waved before heading out.
Later, it wasn't until I was retelling the story that someone pointed out that he was probably going to ask me out, snag my phone number, or something like that. I wouldn't have blamed him if he had - it's not every day you meet someone else into the hobby that you love, yet most of the population considers freakish.
I hope he finds a nice girl.
One who likes bugs.
-H
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