It’s Genderally Unimportant

I’ve started my first job, working as a kitchenhand and tea trolley pusher in a nursing home. While the specific details of my gender aren’t important, my workplace assumes I am a cis male, and I have a relatively androgynous appearance, further accentuated by the hairnet and mask I have to wear.

It’s my first shift, and my coworker is showing me around the place as I do the tea trolley run — the oldies love their hot beverages — and introducing me to all the residents. It’s a fairly normal process (my coworker does most of the talking), until…

Coworker: *As we enter one of the rooms* “Hello, [Resident]! This is [My Name]; he’s our new hire!”

The resident in question is an elderly lady lying in bed. She squints, so I move a little closer, thinking she might not be able to see me well.

Resident: “Are… are you a lady or a man?”

Me: *Without thinking* “Uh… yes?”

Resident: “Oh, I see. Carry on, then.”