The "Turkish Man" rant

I wanted to rant about this for a while, but somehow never got around to it.

Next door in front of the supermarket there's a fruit and veg stand. It's run by a Turkish guy and his family. We used to buy fruit from him quite a bit, but now I have an anti-obsession with him and avoid him at all costs. It gets to the point, where I don't go shopping to this supermarket, just to avoid him. Or take a longer way around the back of the supermarket, just not to go past him, if I have to walk in that direction. Why, might you ask? Well, he has one of these super friendly southern personalities - where he likes to ask about the health and wealth of all your extended family and then your dog, too. This is fine - as in, being born and raised at least partially in the Soviet Union I am somewhat reluctant "giving out" such personal information, but I've gotten used to that over the years and generally even cringingly find it OK.

However, since I've gotten pregnant, this personal boundary has shifted somewhat to be (at least in my mind) much more on the personal side. Thus when he saw me with a belly in April this year he started commenting how it's great that we're finally decided to reproduce and that I don't look fat at all. Great! Then he proceeded to tell me about the marvels and wonders of large exercise balls, as good means to practice for labour, and tried to demonstrate on a chair where he was sitting at the time. Anyhoo... he's just being friendly, I thought.

Then, after Tim was born I went to get some fruit and he started asking me how motherhood is - whether it's the most amazing thing, and how do I really feel about my baby, and how do I feel about having so much more responsibility, and whether I am ecstatic about being a mother. Now, I don't know about you, but I prefer to keep my "business" relationships business and private - private. I have nothing against talking with a man next door about the weather, but about my feelings of being a mother?! Please!!! I don't talk about that with myself - let alone a fruit and veg dude! Seriously!!!

So it was from that point onwards that my active avoidance of him began. It got to a point where I think he realised that I'm avoiding him, because even when he'd say hi as I was running past, I'd just quickly say hi back and go by without stopping for a chat. I stopped buying fruit there and Jack had to humour me and walk the longer way around so that we would avoid "the Turkish man".

A couple of times recently Jack and I shopped there together (with me kind of hiding behind Jack to avoid too much of a conversation) and that seemed to be ok... so this Friday when it was raining and I really couldn't be bothered taking the long way around and actually wanted to buy some fruit, I decided to try it once again. I was not disappointed. Not only did he once again ask me about my Mum and whether she's still here visiting, and then again if I totally love being a mother myself and also how is my baby, but also pointed at my belly and asked if there's another one on the way already, and when I replied with a 'no', he was very surprised and I think disappointed and said that well he guesses there's no rush. At that point I was very happy to take my fruit and go away.

Jack really doesn't seem to have this problem with him, but then I guess Jack doesn't get pregnant. So is it just me and my Soviet super secret upbringing that makes me feel uncomfortable about it, or would others feel this to be a bit too far on the personal side?