Who are you?

It’s 12.30 am. I see you walk into the bar. You are dressed in casual khaki pants, a t-shirt and trainers. You sit at the table opposite me and order a drink. Rum and coke…Vodka and coke? I notice you are left handed. I am enjoying my drink with my friends, but you stand out to me. You are alone and drinking- why? You spend a lot of time on your phone, and then look at the door expectantly. I wonder if you are waiting for a date and if you have been stood up. I build up different scenarios in my mind, trying to see which one will fit you. I contemplate that maybe you have had a fight with your wife or girlfriend and you have gone to the bar to cool down…but you look sad and alone, not angry. I think that you might be a teacher or maybe even a director; you wear big, thick glasses and look studious but creative. You don’t talk to the waiter; you don’t smile at anyone around you. You look at your phone or at the door… waiting.

I have asked for the bill, it’s time for me to move on. I suddenly notice a smile, a wave of relief. A man and a woman walk in. You know the man; you give him a hug hello. He introduces you to the woman he is with. A new girlfriend I suspect- she looks nervous; she touches her hair a lot, she doesn’t smile. I think that you and him are friends, but haven’t seen each other in awhile. Maybe you don’t live in Nairobi? The introverted behavior you were expressing has diminished and you look at ease. You are no longer crossing your arms and trying to hide away, now you are standing assertively and are laughing. Now you smile at the waiter. Now you are happy.

I leave, and as I walk past you I wonder who you are. I wonder if what I thought was right, or if my observations were just a way for me to build a character for my stories.