Walk of Shame

“Well…I guess I’ll see you around,” she said while walking away

It’s over?  And just like that, it was.

If it had not occurred to me before, it struck me like a bolt of lightning dead on that this was just a pattern that kept repeating itself in my life.  And now once again…I walk away; confused, empty and feeling used.

It all started over “Is this seat taken?”

“Um…“I smiled thinking of something polite to say avoiding having to share a table, but I could not think fast enough.

She didn’t wait for an answer and just sat down along side my son and I with her three year old sonl (I came to find out). 

So, there we were at a table for four in an uncrowded restaurant.  We made small talk, “How old is he?”  “Are you JUST a mom” ( I love that one) and “can you please pass the ketchup.”  Before we knew it, we were sharing fries, racing after our sons who were playing together while we shared typical toddler stories.  Here we go again, I thought.  (A mom encounter leading no where…but maybe I would be wrong this time.) 

Just then, her son turned to my son and said, “I love you.”  My son replied, “I love you too.”  (It is not too difficult to fall in love when you are three years old, no judgments.)  I told her we were heading to the park across the way after lunch, in case they would like to join.  She said they just came from the park, “I’m sure I’ll see you around, though.”  Of course, the chances of seeing each other around in this great big city, and choosing to go to the same place at the same time is…extremely rare.  It did not even lead to a “one-park stand,” where we spend time at the park and never see each other again.  (See one of my earlier post-“Found Mr. Right, Looking For Mrs. Right”)

We headed out as well.  My son asked, “Will we see Fenton again?” 
“Probably not,” I answered honestly.  “But we will go to the park”…and there it will all start over again, I said as we made our way back to the car.