It has been a long day at a grocery store, you are tired and you just want to get home. You reach for your keys, which take a long while to finally reach (and you begin wondering why it is so hard to put your hands in your pocket. Weight gain? NO!). You put everything away and reach for your car door, which happens to lightly tap the car next to yours.
Oops.
No big deal, right? Wrong! You casually looked inside just in case someone was inside, and yes. What is worse is that you’ve made eye contact with him. What to do now? Well sorry, I can’t help you there; I’m actually supposed to be writing about the awkwardness of making eye contact with a stranger.
You see, what makes this an awkward situation is the the eye contact. You could’ve just hit the car, and gone right inside and left. But no. You stayed and looked inside. Think about those other times when you accidentally make eye contact with someone you don’t know. Like in a restaurant.
You’re at your table, and across the room, you happen to make eye contact with someone else across the dining area. Alright, it happens. Now let’s say it happens again. You can almost feel it now. The awkward is creeping in.
It happens all the time. Do you ever fear walking toward someone while you’re on a sidewalk because of how uncomfortable it feels? It isn’t because of your clothes don’t match, or because you smell funny; it is because you won’t know what to do once you’re face to face with this other pedestrian. Do you look at her in the eye? Do you say “hi” without feeling like a creep? What to do, what to do. You can always refer to #1 and just hope you don’t get caught pretending to be on your cell phone..
Yeah! Just pretend to be on your cell phone.
One day, I had gotten my hair cut (and yes, dyed) and the hairdresser made it all funky and “blown out” with her hair dryer and gel. I looked like the 80’s version of Joan Jett meets Dorothy Hammel- the big poof in the back. I couldn’t wait to “do it my way” but I hit a fastfood first to eat. I see the guy next to me put his food down, turn his body so he’s facing me and hold up his cell phone directed at me for a few seconds. Then starts texting and chuckles. He puts his phone down, returns to eating, hears a text alert in return. Picks it up, turns and faces me and proceeds to laugh. I’m convinced he took a picture of me and texted someone. I looked funny. That was an awkward moment. I wanted to call him on it, but what if he was just holding the phone up to the light so he could read a message? Me freaking out- that would have definitely been texted.
Sandi
http://www.ahhsome.wordpress.com
Oh wow! Yeah, that must’ve been awkward! Did he really make it that obvious? That man has to learn some discreteness skills, ha ha
I agree with your post. This happens to me all the time, yet if you take public transport, that is hell. There are creepy old people, just in general odd people staring at you. And it creeps me out!
That is really funny and SO TRUE. How about when you are walking down the street and the person in front is just too slow to pass! Do you hurry up until you are puffing and then pass and KEEP UP THE PACE or do you walk slowly RIGHT behind them! is there a rule for that i need the rule..! love your site. c
Yes! That is an AWESOME idea! Thank you 🙂