So I attended a "light" dinner Saturday night with a few hundred women. As you would imagine, the line to get to the buffet table was rather long. Upon coming into the large dinner hall, my two friends, Lisa and Rebecca, and I realized that arriving fashionably late was not the wise choice in this instance. Nevertheless, we joined the end of the line which was on the opposite side of the room from the actual buffet table and hunkered down for what we knew would be a long wait.
We had gotten about halfway through the line with the nefarious infraction occurred. At this point, the line was weaving through several tables in the middle of the room. Three women who were standing at one of the tables next to the line - in a not so nonchalant manner - cut right in front of me - despite the fact that there wasn't really any space between me and the woman I was behind. In fact, there was even physical contact as they wiggled their way into the line! It was shocking!
But the most shocking part of it was that I ACTUALLY KNEW two of the three women from my single days. One, Greta*, I admit I didn't know well. In fact, she probably doesn't remember me at all. But the other, Jenny*, I do know and while we aren't the best of friends, we are on friendly terms.
I found myself at an impasse. My first impulse was to address them with the following comments "Greta, Jenny, wow it's so nice to see you. I bet you came here so we could catch up, that's so nice. But I think you ought to get in the back of the line, just like everyone else...." (all smiles of course)
My second impulse was to ignore the dastardly deed. Maybe they were really hungry and just simply couldn't wait in the line. Maybe they felt entitled to the shorter wait. Either way, just because they were rude, didn't mean that I had to return in kind with a rude comment.
In the end, my second impulse won the battle raging inside and I held my tongue. Lisa, Rebecca, and I exchanged puzzled and shocked glances and commented under our breath "that was awkward." And life went on.
But to make the story even more ironic. The VERY NEXT evening, I was at a much smaller dinner party of some 10 or 12 people and who else was present - but of course, Greta, who was all kindness and smiles to me.
Again my first impulse when she greeted me was to say - "Greta, it's so nice to see you. I saw you last night when you blatantly cut in front of me at dinner. I guess you were really anxious to get to some of that pasta salad and couldn't wait in line like the rest of us. Wasn't it to die for?"
Instead, I smiled and bit my tongue, yet again.
File under - awkward and awkward II
*Names have been changed to protect the guilty.
No comments:
Post a Comment