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When
Copyright 2018 Christina M. Guerrero
DEDICATION
N/A
STORY BEHIND THE STORY
N/A
ABOUT THE DRAFTS
Draft One:
First writing challenge of 2018:
write a coherent first draft in one shot, quickly.
Mostly okay; could have been more entertaining.
Draft Two:
That’s more like it.
Draft Three:
Ready for an editor.
When you realize the dude noticed you ... after you noticed him.
And you noticed him because you had the urge to say, “Shopping like the rest of us, are you, famous dude?”
But you didn't say it. The urge came and went. And maybe he wasn't famous. Maybe he just looked famous. And then you were finished being amused by all of this because you were impatient to leave the store, so you started moving about like the big old ox that you are.
Well, you aren't; you're actually a small old ox. You tend to be clumsy because those accidents and non-accidents left you with some mild ataxia, so you floundered about while standing in line at the store until you got comfortable again, and you might have gotten a bit too close to him.
And when you did, he looked at you, and you felt awkward for being so clumsy. You weren't trying to get too close and you weren't ignoring him when he looked at you. A polite exchange would have been fine. But then he was finished in the store, and he left.
And then you were finished and you left.
Outside, he was nearby. He waved and started talking. And talking. And talking.
And you were thinking: “I have to go, but your mouth is still moving.”
But he had noticed you, and he was saying things. Some things were fairly reasonable. Some things were quite forward. Some things were most definitely not relevant to the situation.
You quickly thought about the pros and cons of being reasonable, forward, and relevant: a complicated matter of two people meeting and searching for common ground.
You almost said: “Listen. You’re too forward. You’re skipping over many important steps that need to be gone through. Back up.”
But ... you had already made up your mind: there was a pretty good chance that this might not of interest to you, and you had to leave. So you accepted his card, thinking some type of communication might be possible in the future.
Since then, as you consider the contact information, you imagine what led to all of that. What exactly? You snort at some things, snicker at others, smile at some, and sometimes feel teary-eyed. Sometimes people just meet and that’s a good enough reason. Sometimes, for reasons that are not so life-affirming, this type of thing suddenly happens. And sometimes, for other reasons, it happens and fades away.
And you think about Your Love and wonder if his Dear Departed Soul perhaps wanted to make you smile that day, and was thinking about you, and said, “Hey. Send this dude. I think she might find him pleasing. Since I can’t be there, let him go over there, and say those things. If something develops, cool. If not, no problem.”
Since then, you realize Your Love was most definitely all over the incident. You think about his smile, and his sense of humor, and his love for people.
And you think about something the rock-star-dude shared at one point, about this meeting: “You would not believe me if I told you.”
You might believe some of it.
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