I walked in and she was there at the counter. When she saw me, she
smiled.
Wait, why
is she smiling?
She didn't look nervous at all. Not even a little bit. Her
demeanor calmed me down. I waited in line until it was my turn, then stepped to
the counter.
"Hi Sess." She said, her voice as cheery as ever.
"Hey, how are you doing?" I said.
"I'm good. You called right? Chicken and katsu?"
"Yep, that's me. Same as always." I replied with a
self-deprecating chuckle. I handed her my card.
"OK, hey, last week when you were here..." As she spoke
the words, I felt my body tense.
Oh no, here it comes...
"I couldn't understand what you said before. You talked
really fast. My English is not good and I am sometimes not good with fast
talking. Why did you give me that paper?"
Relief washed over me.
She didn't reject you! She just didn't understand what you said!
You get a second chance!
I laughed nervously. Just be yourself.
"I'm sorry, I was pretty nervous that night. I just wanted
you to know that I think you have a beautiful smile and, if you're free, I'd love to take
you out for coffee sometime. If you're interested, you can give me a call. My
cell phone number is on that paper."
Simple. Calm. Real. I surprised myself at how easily the words formed.
As soon as she understood what I meant, her face flushed pink. She smiled and
nodded, then handed me my food. I thanked her and headed home, embarrassed by
my original attempt, but happy that I got another chance to say what I really meant.
All of the planning, all of the worrying; none of it mattered.
Even if she doesn't call you, it's OK. There is hope for your future.
Two hours later my phone beeped. I had a text message.
