All I really wanted at that moment was to sneak off. Normally, I would plug in my earpods to escape this reality but the background music was so loud, I could hear my eardrums begging for mercy. I wished I could leave but I was standing in for a friend at her work place. Anita, my friend, asked me to stand in for her as she wanted to hurriedly get something from a location. Without batting an eyelid, I accepted because I thought she would keep to time. This little outing of hers was supposed to last for roughly twenty minutes but there I was forty-five minutes later, totally frustrated. It was either I went insane or I got a mind blowing headache, literally.
Whenever I was uncomfortable, my countenance changed. From just my facial expression, a stranger could easily tell that I was totally uncomfortable if they looked in my direction. At this time, I hadn't mastered the art of shielding my emotions.
I kept tapping my foot aggressively and impatiently.At this point, I had exhausted my "patience" bundle but if I left, Anita would be at risk of losing her job. While lost in thought, I could feel a pair of eyes glaring at me. It felt like someone was staring intensely at me and this stare could pierce through my skin.
I felt a lump in my throat as I tried to swallow. Did I offend anyone? While still trying to ignore this glare like I always did, a stranger walked up to me. I wasn't ready for a conversation and that too with a stranger.
"Hello. Good evening" the stranger greeted.
"Good evening and welcome. What would you like me to get you?" I asked, trying to feign a smile.
"Do you work here?" He asked. Totally ignoring the question I asked.
"No I do not. But I'm standing in for a friend. Again, would you like me to get you anything?" I responded. At this time, I had completely lost my patience.
"Okay. So, can I keep you company till your friend returns?" He offered.
I wasn't expecting such an offer at that moment. Every customer that walked in during my short stay there was either rude or super aggressive. This particular stranger was different. I needed a distraction from my misery and so I accepted this offer.
We got talking and it felt like I had known him for edges. I'm not the chatty type especially when strangers are involved but I surprised myself that evening. We kept going on and on and I had forgotten that I was waiting for Anita. That moment of camaraderie was just divine. I had never connected instantly with anyone before.
My dearest friend Anita returned after what felt like ten years but I wasn't keeping track of time. Or was I? My conversation with this stranger continued for a few more hours. Hours turned to days and days to months. That was how Jake and I became friends.
Whenever I sit to reminisce on the circumstances that surrounded I and Jake's first encounter, I'm thankful that my impatience and fraustration didn't get the best of me. I would have missed out on the opportunity to meet an amazing person who is still my friend till date. I do not know where my chumminess came from that evening, but I'm glad it showed up.