Chicken

Photo Credit The Female Quixote Studio | www.TFQstudio.com

It was just a normal evening and I was making my way from work to home.  I was at the WMATA Metro station on the down escalator when I noticed a man a few steps ahead of me.  His body frame and a dark spot at the nape of his neck is what caught my attention.  I wondered to myself as to whether his face was just as attractive as everything else.  So, when the escalator reached the bottom, I maneuvered through the crowd of commuters to get a glimpse of this gentleman's face.  I go through the faregate and onto the platform and there he is.  I walk by him and glance up and yes, he was cute.  However, I simply shrugged it off as one of those random times when we encounter someone really attractive, similar to finding paper money on the ground.

About a day or so later, one morning, I was at Starbucks waiting for either a venti very berry hibiscus or green tea lemonade (I can't remember) and there he was, the attractive man from the escalator.  He was waiting for his caffeinated drink.  I started formulating in my mind what I should say to him or if I should even approach him at all, but nothing was coming to mind.

The reason I couldn't find anything to say is because I am accustom to men approaching me first and not the other way around.  Therefore I am more prepared for the follow up instead of initiating.

So, my beverage arrives a split second after his and by the time I make it out the door and onto the street, to see what direction he went in to possibly catch up to him  he was out of sight.  From that moment on I started creating in my mind an entire introductory conversation him and I would have because I was determined that the next time I saw him I was going to walk up to him and ask him out on a date or at least tell him my name and get his in return.

Well, the days came and went.  In the mornings when I would go to that particular Starbucks I would hope that it would be the day I see him and I thought the same as I walked to the Metro in the evenings, but nope.  All the while in my mind I was encouraging myself and waiting with anticipation, but over time my hope started to dwindle.

Then, it happened, about three weeks after I saw him that morning in Starbucks. I was on my way home one evening from work, I was approaching the down escalator to enter the Metro station and there he was, we almost crossed paths but he was a few steps ahead of me. He walked down the escalator and I did the same. I was determined to talk to him, but I was also nervous. Thoughts of "What if he rejects me?" or "What if I get embarrassed?" started to fill my mind. He goes through the faregate and I attempt to do the same, but there isn't enough money on my Smartrip card so I have to go to the machine to add fare. I could hear the train pull into the station beneath me and in my head I start to chastise myself for not having loaded money onto my card that morning. Feeling dispirited that I missed my opportunity I add money to my card and catch the escalator down to wait for my train on the platform.

However, to my surprise there he was, the man I had been wanting to see and introduce myself to was standing there on the platform with his face in his phone. Here was my chance, but instead of being the daring, brave person that I had pumped myself up to be in my head I simply walked by him and admired him from a distance.

I was too chicken to go up to him.  I found the whole situation quite amusing and on the inside I was laughing all the way home with a smile on my face.

Thanks for reading!
(John 3:16)