Lunch Anyone?

It was a cold and rainy Friday afternoon when I stopped into the local Wegmann’s Food Court for lunch.
My offices shut down between 12 and 1 and I had an hour to kill with nowhere to go. Food sounded perfect.

I grabbed a salad and plopped down at a small table overlooking the store. I’m convinced I did not provoke what happened next.

“Hi there!” said a tall guy with glasses. He looked about 35. “Mind if I join you?”
I looked around to see who he was talking to.
You can’t be serious, I thought.

“Uh, well, I’m just finishing up….” My voice trailed off.
“That’s okay,” he chirped as he placed his tray next to mine.
I did a double-take to see if any friends were hiding behind the store trees laughing at me.
No luck.

“Do you work around here?” he asked.
“Uh, sort of, I have offices I work with near here.” I replied.
“Oh, are you in sales?”
“Yes, I am.” I said as I flashed my new engagement ring. It’s become a perfectly subtle way to ward off intruders.
He didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m George; I’m new to the area. In fact, I just moved downtown.” He added. “What about you? Do you have a name?” he smiled a toothy grin.
“No I don’t.” I replied “My parents abandoned me when I was young, since then I’ve been called ‘hey you’. It’s not very glamorous, but it works.” I smiled back.
He laughed.
“Honestly, George,” I added. “I’m engaged, I live with my fiancé downtown. I wish I could be more help but I don’t think he’d be too excited to hear about me going out with new male friends. Sorry.”
I then grabbed my tray and began to leave.
“I completely understand,” he replied. “What a lucky guy. If you have any single friends you think would be interested- let me know. Here’s my card.”
I took his card and wished him a great weekend.

Truthfully, I feel bad for the guy. I’ve moved to places where I haven’t known a soul and it’s tough. Making friends and finding a group to belong to is a job on its own.

“So then he hands me his card, poor guy, he seemed really nice….” I told my good friend Marcia the story.
“Was he cute?” She asked.
“Yeah, nothing spectacular, but tall- he probably works out,” I responded.
Marcia is single and was listening very closely.
“But would you date him? That is, if you weren’t engaged.” She continued.
Probably not. But Marcia and I have very different tastes in guys.
“Sure.” I said. “Do you want his card?”
“I’ll take a look at it. No promises.” She stated.
“Of course not,” I confirmed.

This afternoon I wonder if I’ve done a good thing. I’ve put my friend’s trust in my opinion. If George turns out to be less than what she expected I could be in real trouble.
If he turns out to be fantastic- then I’ve created something wonderful.
So who knows?

But there’s one thing I am sure of:
Even if Marcia never calls, I’ll bet George will eventually find more than lunch at the Wegmann’s Food Court.