Strangers

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

It was a brief moment, not lasting more than half a minute or so, but it was enough to make us all laugh, and I'm sure they did too. We were just sitting there, happily studying away, when all at once an employee told us they were closed. So we did what any sensible people would do and packed up our stuff to leave. While doing so, Brooke said laughingly, "Hey, they're waving!" We finished what we were doing and walked over to the window to see. Sure enough, about five stories up in the dormitories across the way, was a room with the lights on, shades up, and a girl making her bed, who evidently had been waving at us a minute before. Me, being the person who I am, immediately started waving back in long sweeping arcs. Soon enough I got her attention, and she started waving back excitedly. Then I started waving goofily, and she mimicked me. I continued waving outrageously, and by this time her roommate had joined her at the window waving at the random guy down in the restaurant at closing time. I waved one last time, let out a deep hearty laugh that they could easily see, and then left.

It didn't take long, it didn't take much, but even just that was just enough. With the wave of a hand I had brightened their day, brought a smile to their faces and gave them something to tell their friends. Of course, some of my friends were glowing red by this time from sheer embarrassment, but that was okay. It's not like we're ever going to see these people again, or they us, so we may as well live happily and be ourselves while we're at it. And who knows? We all just might be a little better for it.