In My Imagination

This evening I had both church choir practice and opera workshop rehearsal, so I had to leave one early and arrive at the other late. It's also Thursday, the day that my most-L LYS stays open late. They usually have a good selection of books, and to support my LYS I thought I'd stop by on the way to church and buy the new ScarfStyle book. I'd pay full price, but it would be a good way to support a store I can't afford to buy yarn at, but enjoy visiting. They didn't have the book. So, I could either go home and order it and not have the immediate gratification that I so desired (MUST HAVE IT NOW!!!), drive all over town to the other LYSs looking for it on Saturday, or I could just go to Barnes & Noble, which I knew had it, and really is another business it's not a bad idea to support, because I'm glad they're there, and if everyone bought all of their books on Amazon, it wouldn't be there.

So after Opera Workshop rehearsal (10:00!) I headed to my LB&N. There's a very cute boy who works there, and who sold me my evening dessert on Wednesday, and while he's too young for me, I thought "wouldn't it be fun if I had a crush on him, and he was there, and blah, blah, blah." Yeah, that would be fun. But I don't. On wednesday I was walking by the cafe (on my way to the bathroom because a glass of water was spilled at dinner, and my pants were still wet) and caught his eye, which I'm sure was just a coincidence, but it's a lot more fun to think that it wasn't. Maybe he likes older women. (In my imagination, that could be true. I have a very active imagination. And why not, I ask you?)

As I walked in, I could see through the windows that he was there. How fun. I haven't spied on someone from afar since, well, probably high school? College maybe? I learned that while the knitting books are all the way across the store from the cafe, they are aligned perfectly to see the dessert case. I found the scarf book, and as I looked at it, I faced the cafe, and periodically looked up at Mr. um- what am I going to call him? how about Mr. Dark and Handsome because he has these dark eyes - brooding even (hee!), who was standing behind the dessert case. He must have been reading something, and did not notice the apparition-that-is-me coming in the door, because he didn't look up. Until he did! And the next time I looked up, he was still looking at me (in my imagination). And again. And so, (in my imagination) I needed to look cute or intelligent or interesting or whatever, but all the while I really was looking at the book, and I started walking a little while perusing the book, and found the scarf I think I'm going to make for my voice teacher and stopped to look more closely, but since (in my imagination) he was looking at me, I was concerned about the way I was standing, because I don't look cute standing head on with my feet together, so I moved my feet. Aargh! Still not cute, but what's a girl to do? Fidget? Get a grip, maybe?

I proceeded to wander around the rest of the store because as much as I am there every Wednesday, I don't spend much time looking at books there, and I obviously didn't feel like grabbing something and paying for it, I felt like hanging out somewhere. I found my way back to the front aisle and wandered through the books closer to the cafe thinking "I wish I had put on some lipstick" because (in my imagination) that would help. (Help what, exactly?) I had seen what I needed to see, so I went to the registers to pay. But there was nobody there. I waited for a few minutes, but no one showed up, so what's a girl to do, but see if there's anyone manning the cafe register? And there was - quelle surprise! I walked over, asked if I could pay for my book there, and explained that there wasn't anyone at the other registers (because in my imagination he knows who I am and thinks I'm there because I like him - I did graduate from high school, I swear) and he apologized, which wasn't necessary. As I left and was already walking away he said "Have a nice night." and something else, which he always says when I buy things from him (I'm sure he says it to everyone, but there's that crazy imagination again) but I was already walking away, and if this all was for real, and I wasn't the biggest chicken in the world, I would have turned around and flashed him a big lipstick-less smile and said something cute, but I didn't. I just kept walking, because my imagination is far larger than my life. As I walked away I imagined that he was a little nervous helping me. I always imagine that.

See, now wasn't that fun? I don't really have any kind of crush on him, because I wasn't any more shy than I usually am (very!), I never look anyone in the eye, and I don't get butterflies when I see him or anything, but it was fun to pretend for a few minutes. I think I'm possibly too old for the whole "butterfly" thing. Possibly I'm too cynical. But it was fun to pretend that he looked at my debit card particularly close in order to get my name. (Yes, I'm incorrigible.)

[I hesitated to tell this story because of the crap-getting-potential from the girls at B&N on wednesday. Let me say right now that if wednesday night knitting turns into a giggle-fest, I'm going to puke, and then there will be nothing to laugh about. Capiche?]