|
It�s funny how some of the most common experiences can be so awkward sometimes. Here�s an example of what I mean. The other day I pull up to the redlight at College and Perkins and I end up being in line right next to a friend of mine. It�s not a close friend or anything, but definitely someone I know and have to acknowledge. So I give him the little friendly wave and fake half-smile and then look up at the light to see if it has changed. Of course it hasn�t, and so now I am faced with a really uncomfortable situation. I think to myself, �What should I do? Do I wave again, or maybe just smile. No! Why would I do that again? That�s stupid! Crap! This is getting really awkward.� At this point I am becoming painfully aware of him being there, and I am guessing that he feels the same way. It�s weird because I don�t want to ignore him like he�s not there, but at the same time, our windows are rolled up, so we couldn�t have any kind of conversation. I know that by the time I roll it down, and then he gets the point and rolls his down, the light will probably already have changed. So I quickly find something to busy myself with, anything to avoid having to make eye contact with him. I decide flip through the radio stations: over and over and over and over and over�.. �Ok� I think to myself �I have been flipping through these for way too long. If I was really looking for something to listen to, I would have found it by now. I need to do something else.� So I start looking around my car for something to fiddle with, anything! I start picking stuff up, putting it back down, picking up other stuff, putting it down. Finally I resorted to the back seat. I started pretending like I was looking for something��something important I guess. He probably knows that there is nothing SO important that I HAVE to find it at this light. �Come on, give it up! This is stupid! I need to do something else. My cds! Yeah, that�s perfect. I have my case behind the seat.� So I take off my seatbelt and awkwardly bend over and squeeze between the 2 seats to get my cds.
By now, it has been a while since I have even looked at him and I know its high time I at least acknowledge him. So I give him another cheesy smile, and he laughs back, probably because it is just as awkward for him. I start flipping through my cds, franticly at this point. Just then, I hear 2 or 3 horns honking pretty loudly. I ignore it because if I look up then I will have to make eye contact for the 3rd time, and that would just be too much. About 5 seconds later, the honking is getting pretty loud, so I decide I might look just to see what is going on. Of course, you guessed it, the light has been green for who knows how long and I am holding up traffic. My friend is long gone by now, and I causing a big scene. As I am driving down the road later, I am wondering if it is really worth all that trouble to avoid an uncomfortable situation. I mean, there has got to be something better than what I did.
So, to sum it up, I think that something must be done about this potentially awkward situation. There needs to be a social protocol for times like that. I shouldn�t have to be obnoxiously scampering around my car to find something to do and then causing a big scene. So, for all of you out there in cyberspace right now who are reading this, what do you think? I need some advice because this craziness must stop. Send in your good ideas to [email protected] , and next time you find yourself in the same situation, maybe you can perform more gracefully. |
|
