An Elbow, A Flower, A Stairwell or Two
There was another company party scheduled for this evening. Boring or not, he would have to attend. And, these parties were always boring. It was a good thing that he had downloaded some data to his laptop right before the party. He could speculate on ways to analyze it. And, that, would keep him from being bored. Data was always his savior. Some said that he spent too much time with it. But, how could anyone spend too much time with data? And, besides, that wasn’t true. He was here at this party wasn’t he?
When he arrived at the bar / restaurant where the party was being held, he asked the nearest server which room his company had reserved. The server went to check the list. While she was gone, one of his co-workers hesitantly approached him. They always did that. They had no idea what he did at work. So, they didn’t know how to start a conversation with him. He handled the company’s data. That seemed simple enough to him. This co-worker explained that a room hadn’t been reserved this evening. He would just have to find whatever seat he could.
He felt sorry for whoever had organized this evening’s party. They were probably overworked and underpaid. They had let one little thing slip. And, now, they would hear about it forever. People were jostling him as they made their way to their seats. He should find one soon and make his way there.
His drink came. Another mix up. He had to pay for it himself this time. The company would reimburse him later. Still, he hated when that happened. Since there was no room, there was no one from company making a speed and droning on and on. So, he looked out over the room. At first, he had only intended to see who he could spot from his company. He wasn’t looking for a friend or a better place to sit. He had no friends at the company. And, everyplace was as good as every other place here.
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Suddenly, he had the urge to move. He had spotted a very interesting looking woman on the far opposite side of the room. Should he go over and introduce himself? No, everybody would see him make a fool of himself when he opened his mouth and had nothing to say to her. “Say, I’ve got some interesting data on my laptop here. Want to analyze it with me?” was probably the worst pickup line ever. And, besides, he just wanted to meet her. Perhaps, then, he could find out why he found her so interesting. As in every situation like this, he was immobilized. So, he stayed right where he was.
A few minutes later, he noticed that he was still looking at her. But, she couldn’t possibly know that. He could have been looking at any of several other people who were seated between him and her. He could have been looking for his long lost cousin. That’s when he suddenly became lost. And, for the first time, he was getting lost in something other than his data.