One of the things that I love most about my marriage is the fact that both of us are delighted to meet new people and make new friends… And this was perfectly illustrated by a chance encounter tonight at a pizza place after a birthday party at a nearby bar.
It’s adorable how an offhand comment to a total stranger can become so memorable.
Friends who know me will attest: a few drinks, and I become sappy and cheerful and chatty. Sure enough, while waiting for my pizza, I absent-mindedly complimented a passerby in the restaurant about his jacket. And then, seeing that I was sitting across from the guy he was with, I offered to get up so that he could sit.
He replied that they had just seen a show, so he was fine with standing… And that led to a good 20-minute conversation.
Before you knew it, we were all talking about theater, and travel, and where we grew up, and where we lived now, and Star Trek, and bands, and marriage, and family… All with two until-that-moment perfect strangers. And by the end of the conversation, there were hugs all around, and the possibility raised of catching them again before they leave NYC on Monday, and vague plans to see each other when Sal and I visit Los Angeles for a wedding in July.
Truly, we’ve never met a stranger… Just a friendship waiting to be made. And I absolutely love that about us.