Silly Little Things

‘It’s going to be such a drag, I don’t understand your enthusiasm,’ comes the response, as we park.

‘Absolutely not. It’s going to be brilliant. Look at their IQs’ I counter, alighting from the moped.

‘Hello?! All the more reason to. High IQs. All Brains. No fun talk,’ pat comes the reply.

‘You should also attend. It’ll be fun, come on,’ I plead, hopeful. In all honesty, I want to meet the who’s who of the industry, but I am also bored to go through the day all by myself.

‘No way, duh! Call me when you change your mind!’

‘IF. Not WHEN. And I won’t,’ I retort angrily, irritated at the assumption that I would change my mind.

***

I look at the hall clock. Again. I must have probably looked at it 216 times already in the past hour. How much longer can I endure this? I wish I hadn’t walked away so haughtily. It makes calling that much difficult. I browse my contact list, pausing, feeling stupid and finally hit dial. And feeling foolish, I instantly hang up.

Two seconds later, the phone rings. Oh well.

‘When … when you’re done with that stupid event of yours, I am at the Aleon café right opposite the campus, walk over,’ and the call gets disconnected. I look at the phone, dumbfounded. Such arrogance.

***

I enter the café with a sigh. Skipping past a few tables, I finally take my seat and look visibly sheepish. I get an eye roll in return.

‘Fine, you win. It sucked!’

‘Your hazelnut cappuccino ma’am,’ says the waitress, as she sets the cup down, in front of me.

‘But … I haven’t ordered yet …’ I say, as she trails off in the distance. I look up to see another eye roll.

And despite my annoyance at the initial assumption, followed by the absolute conviction that I would be walking out of the event to the perfectly timed order now, and a brilliant choice at that, I inadvertently smile. It’s warm, heartfelt and ends in a toothy grin.

‘You know me too well,’ I quip, beaming.

‘I am doomed,’ comes the deadpan response, with the clarity that knows there’s no escape.

I burst out laughing.