Do I Know This Man?

I was sitting in a meeting that had started 20 minutes late, glancing at the clock, knowing it was well past noon and that I could not stop thinking about lunch. I had already scoped out the lunch special at Wildwood Market and I knew that every minute counted toward time that I may or may not get there in time to get a sandwich before they sold out. Finally, there came a time when everyone started talking about food and so we adjourned.

Look at that sandwich. It has turkey, bacon crumbles, triple creme cheese, and FIGS. Yes, figs. It looked so good. Photo courtesy of @wildwoodmarket on Instagram.

I headed back to my desk, grabbed my sunglasses, and headed down the street. The sun was shining and it was a pleasant day, but I was more focused on the goal. It was nearly 12:30 pm, meaning there was a good chance the lunch rush had already occurred. I hoped with every step that there would still be a sandwich in that basket when I walked in.

Alas, there was one sandwich in the basket, and it was mine.

I had planned to eat outside and enjoy the nice day I’d ignored on the speedwalk over, but the wind was so strong I spent more time defending my lunch than enjoying it, so I headed back inside. Perched on a high table and stool by the front door, I ate, read a few articles on my phone, and watched the world outside of the window before me.

I was a few bites in when I noticed a person looking my direction out of the peripheral of my left eye. It was a man with short dark hair, and he seemed very intentional as he turned his head my way on his way out the door. ‘Do I know this man?’ I thought. Surely, if it was someone I knew, he would say hello, right? He didn’t speak, and I kept my eyes forward. This went on for what felt like an agonizing set of 90-second-long minutes.

I felt nervous. Why was this person looking at me, what did he want, and why wouldn’t he speak? The small space was suddenly feeling much smaller.

Finally, I decided to glance over.

Our eyes met and he said:

“You got the last sandwich.”

And walked out the door.