I’m not my normal spunky self today. Last night, at the bar, I watched someone get stood up. He strode in around seven o’clock, took two menus and ordered a glass of water. Then he waited. And waited.
As the hours passed his body language became more and more self conscious. His moon-eyed looks at the door turned into long glares. He rubbed his arms and fidgeted. Tried making phone calls and then hung up without getting an answer.
It was an awkward and frankly awesome thing to behold. After he ordered a meal and pretended to read the newspaper for a while he left. Alone.
I had never seen anyone destroyed in slow motion before.
6 comments
melly
January 22, 2006 at 4:19 pm (UTC -5)
ouch! so sad…
Ryan Oakley
January 22, 2006 at 9:33 pm (UTC -5)
And also, kind of pathetic. Pity is an ugly emotion.
Melly
January 23, 2006 at 2:02 pm (UTC -5)
Pathetic? Why? ‘Cause the poor sod was utterly embarrassed? Or ’cause he got stood up?
Oh, we’re going to have to have words on this one next chess game.
Ryan Oakley
January 23, 2006 at 3:41 pm (UTC -5)
Pathetic:
# hapless: deserving or inciting pity; “a hapless victim”; “miserable victims of war”; “the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic”- Galsworthy; “piteous appeals for help”; “pitiable homeless children”; “a pitiful fate”; “Oh, you poor thing”; “his poor distorted limbs”; “a wretched life”
mona lisa
January 23, 2006 at 4:24 pm (UTC -5)
it sounds so crushing, i love people watching but i think i would have had to turn away.
Ryan Oakley
January 23, 2006 at 9:10 pm (UTC -5)
It was like a car accident. You have to look. I would have bought hima drink btu I didn’t want to get involved. Who knows? Maybe there was a reason he was being treated so shabbily.