Member-only story
Turns out awkwardness can be charming.
I Waved at Strangers by Mistake and Found Hilarious Ways to Recover Without Feeling Stupid
Life’s too short to not laugh at yourself.
It was a sticky day in Bangalore when it happened again. I had just come out of a metro station, wearing sunglasses, carrying my backpack on one shoulder, and tired from working all day.
I had already lost my patience with the broken turnstile at the exit gate, and then it happened, a girl waved in my direction. She was happy, hand raised, looking radiant in her pink kurta.
My heart rate started to increase. Do I know her from my master’s program back in the States? Did we go to the same undergrad?
I didn’t want to seem rude. So, naturally, I waved back. Only for a second woman to filter in front of me and sprint into her arms.
I had waved. The girl had never even seen me. And let me tell you, I seriously considered changing countries.
I pulled the most desperate move from the “Embarrassment Survival Kit”, I turned it into an energetic “fix the hair” gesture.
It didn’t help. I stood there, hand on my head, looking like a cursed Sims character.
