Don't Look Me in the Eye

My friend HP had her baby. Remember the blanket my Mom and I made for her (found here)? Well now she gets to use it. (I'm pretty sure that's what she's most excited about.)

I was driving to visit her in the hospital when I realized I had forgotten to stop at the corner Walgreens to get her candy. She loves Skittles and I was also going to pick up some chocolate. So I kept my eye out for a gas station, figuring I would just stop on my way there. I pulled into a Circle K, parked my truck, and walked up to the front. I passed a man and we made eye contact, so I do what I always do and smiled at him. He smiled back and said hello.

This is where I'm a little weird. I'll smile at strangers but I don't actually like talking to them. So I usually go non-verbal. When he said hello I just smiled bigger and kept walking. He decided we needed to have a conversation.

"You have the most beautiful smile!" He told me.
I couldn't ignore that, so I told him thank you. He then asked my name. I felt the corners of my smile starting to turn down; this was getting weird. I told him my name as my hand was on the door ready to pull it open, paused, continued the awkward smile, decided I was done with the exchange, and continued into the store.

I carefully made my candy selections, paid, and exited the store.

Where the man was waiting for me.

I started to walk faster and brightly told him, "Have a good night!" and tried to breeze past him.
"Deidre, right? My name is James." He held out his hand for me to shake. "Deidre you have the most beautiful smile."

Crap, this man is going to try to sell me something. Or ask me for gas money. Or pull out a weapon and force me into his car and my dead body will be found in the morning. I think I have been watching too much Criminal Minds. I bounce on my toes a little to get ready to sprint away as soon as he gives me my hand back. But then he says, "Do you have a business card or something else so that I could contact you...in the future...to continue the conversation?"

He has thrown me. Business card? He wants me to sell him something? I glance down at my outfit. I'm not wearing any sort of company label. What does he think I do for a living? And what conversation does he think we're having?

Oh wait, maybe he's asking me out. What a weird way to ask. But I am the type that needs clarification, so I ask, "You mean a date?"

He responds in the affirmative, so I hold up the diamond on my left hand, wiggle it a little for emphasis, and tell him, "I'm happily married. But thanks for the compliment." And then made my escape.

It was awkward. And weird. The whole business card thing is just throwing me.

But I got to cuddle an adorable baby boy and HP enjoyed her candy, so it was worth it.

I have decided I'm not going to look people in the eye anymore. Because happy people are already happy and don't need my little bit of sunshine anyway. Unhappy people just frown at me. And the socially awkward people take it as an opportunity to be awkward.