Jan. 05, 2006
How funny it is when you are not them. As I pick up some take out from my favorite local joint, I look over at some unsuspecting people trying to enjoy a nice dinner, and an uneasy stillness at a table catches my eye. Ah yes, the first date. My assumption. Maybe the second, third, or whatever… This is the new state in two people’s lives and I find it absolutely embarrassing to see….and I’m not even one of them. The girl, in her nice fresh pressed sweater, looking cute and flirtatious but not to easy. The guy, his nice clean striped dress shirt sitting erect like a flag pole, trying to tell some joke and laughing by himself. Bottle of mid range, not too expensive “I’m not a cheapskate, or try hard” red wine on the table. I can see the nervousness on their faces and I walk out the restaurant door. A little chuckle happens to come out of me. It was such an awkward site to see two people in that state. I guess it’s just been forever since I’ve last had to endure such a thing. I’m sure now, they are going through some silly conversation about how their day went, or trying to figure out what mutual friends they have, or even trying to negotiate the strategy of life. All nonsense for a ritual that people can not seem to escape from. I chuckle some more and decide to focus on getting my dinner home to be eaten.
From
the outside looking in, we see strangers with strange habits. Being the one
away, we don’t see the insides of the world they occupy. Walking by
and only glancing at the porcelain portrait, we don’t enjoy the work
that creates the masterpiece. In the end, sometime the start is irrelevant.