Saying Hello to Simon

On Monday, as you may or may not know, Sachi and I went to the prom together. It was very nice, but of course, we managed to stumble upon some awkward situations. Sachi is going to tell some stories, but I was delegated to tell this one (because I was the main subject of the awkwardness).

We had by this time already managed to find a table at which to sit (this was not an easy task, I assure you--Sachi will get into more detail about that) and we walked towards the line to get our buffet dinner. I thought I ought to say hello to Simon, who I saw near the buffet area, and since Sachi apparently knew him also from orchestra, I thought it would be nice to have a brief salutation.

So I was about to walk up to him and say hello, when someone else nearby went and started talking to him. The trouble was, whenever I tried to get a chance to say hello, something else would catch his attention, and he would be looking away. At one point, Gabe commented on the fact that he had tied his own bow-tie or something like that. "Is it crooked?" he asked, and I, still trying to catch his attention, said, "maybe slightly." But instead of catching his attention, I ended up with him briefly saying, "I can fix it in the bathroom," and then wandering off.

As we were getting on line for the food, I tried one last time. Looking up at him (for he is quite tall) from a strange angle, I said, "Hello." I'm not sure if he noticed, but I immediately regretted my intrusion. Sachi looked at me, smirking. "Well, that was a failure. Now I suppose I have to run far away and hide," I commented embarrassedly.

Later in the evening, when the dancing was taking place, I came across Simon once more. This time I was not trying to start a conversation or anything; I was just dancing. But Simon was dancing especially violently, and his long, pointy elbows kept hitting me. I tried to move out of the way, but I think somehow Sachi got into the position I had been in before. Whatever happened, Sachi soon said to me, "I've had enough jabs from his elbows," and we moved farther away.

-Philip