last night i dreamt that i went shopping with 2 or 3 of my girlfriends. (don't worry... it wasn't you. they were faceless, nameless people, as often occurs in dreams.) when we got to the mall, though, our number expanded when we happened upon friends of friends, who then joined our group.
there emerged from our crowd one clear leader, a stranger to me who wanted to go to shops i had no interest in. i walked around with them, but felt unfulfilled by her choice of stores. she then convinced the group to dine in a restaurant too expensive for my budget. i finally decided i didn't want to be with them anymore... i was getting restless and my day was beginning to feel wasted, so i decided to go eat at a cheaper place -- by myself. there were protestations from my friends, but i wasn't going to be dissuaded... i really wanted to separate myself from them for a while. i went to the food court and ordered beef lo-mein. (the rest of the group were going to have a champagne lunch at a sit-down bistro.)
after i ordered my food i discovered that there was no place left to sit and eat. an attractive young man (who looked like justin theroux, hubba hubba) offered me a seat at his table. he was by himself, too.
we had a marvellous chat, very friendly and intellectually-stimulating. he was confident and somewhat flirty, but i felt totally at ease with him... i didn't feel like he was hitting on me or anything. he said he was on his way to see a movie, and would i like to join him? i agreed without even asking what movie it was.
the film turned out to be an entertaining amalgam of cartoon and science. i remember being amazed that i learned something new during that movie... a scientific concept i never thought i could have grasped, but the information was presented in a way i really enjoyed. i felt smart and happy afterward.
as we left the theatre this attractive young man and i exchanged phone numbers... i knew i needed to leave his company and somehow find my girlfriends. as i walked away, feeling immensely satisfied with my life, i realized that i would have never had this amazing experience had i simply stayed with my crowd.
Posted by xta at August 29, 2004 11:13 AM | TrackBack