Before she could say anything, I whipped around and strode quickly out the door. I
was elated. I'd conquered my fear! Did I give her time to react? Nah, but that
was the point right? I didn't want her to feel pressured to answer. To have to
say something right then and there. She could think about it, and if she was
interested she could call or text me. Or she could choose to ignore me and
there didn't need to be any awkwardness involved.
She. She who? OH NO, you forgot to look at her name tag again!
I couldn't have been happier at work that night, but as the days
passed, my happiness turned to anxiety, and then to disappointment. I
checked my phone for messages each afternoon when I awoke, hoping to find a
missed call or text. By the seventh day, I'd come to terms with the only answer
that made sense to me; rejection.
Hey, it's OK. You knew this would probably be the outcome, but look what you accomplished. You put yourself out there and tried to make a connection. That's personal growth. Be proud of yourself.
I hadn't been to her restaurant in a week, and I was desperately
missing the food. I decided to brave the awkwardness though, because in the
long run my stomach would thank me. Picking up my phone, I placed the call.
"Hello, Teriyaki Town, may I help you?" It was the store
manager.
"Hi, I'd like a number 14, chicken and katsu combo. To go. And extra katsu sauce please."
"OK, 10 minutes please."
When I arrived at the restaurant, I began to feel a bit more
anxious.
Will she be there? If so, will she be nervous around me now? Will she
find an excuse to go to the kitchen and avoid me? Well, there's nothing you can
do about that now. At least you're getting a nice meal.
