Jokes With Strangers

Drenched in a cocktail of shame, regret, and frustration over the encounter with that man, I stomped my feet on the floor as I made my way back to the living room. The television show continued to play on the screen, but I was in no mood to watch it any longer. With a decisive press of the remote's power button, I silenced the room, yet my mind buzzed with his words. "What did I do to deserve to be treated like this?" I wondered, the echo of his accusations ringing in my ears. It had all started as a harmless joke, a little jest on my part, yet he had reacted with such disproportionate intensity.

Sinking into the sofa, I let my hair fall forward as I absentmindedly twirled strands around my finger. "You were in the wrong, but now you'll have to face the consequences," I muttered to myself, grappling with a mix of indignation and defiance. While I acknowledged that my actions may have been misguided, I refused to feel ashamed of them. My cheeks flushed with a blend of embarrassment and righteous anger as memories of the confrontation replayed in my mind. "How dare he," I seethed silently, feeling a surge of resentment towards him. "He's rude. He's uncouth."

The insult lingered like a bitter taste in my mouth, and I vowed silently, "I will not forget this, Mr. Arthur."

I was engrossed in my own thoughts of abhorring him, cursing him, and making plans of taking revenge on him, when all of a sudden I heard a knock on the door. My first intuition after hearing it was that it might be Arthur at the door, after realizing, finally, that whatever he has done was wrong and after having pondered on the whole situation with a cool mind he must have realized that he overacted and he's here now to apologize.

"Oh, so he's finally here!

But I'll not open the door on first knock. He has to wait. Wait Mr., Wait!"

I remained seated in the sofa though my ears were hooked to the door waiting for another knock. And another one after that as I had planned not to open it quickly, as it might be the impression that I get over excited or even I was waiting for him to come for whatever purpose.

"No I'm least interested in him."

"Go to hell."

I said as another knock on the door resonated.

I ignored it. Actually, I was enjoying it. Having the vision that he's outside banging his fist on my door just for me to open it and he could apologize.

Could say in his honied-voice, "I'm sorry."

I pursed my lips and stretched them as having imagine that scene alone gave me immense satisfaction, especially, after having been insulted from him.

After a brief pause comes the third knock. A more forceful, thunderous, and eager. I finally decided to move my ass of the sofa and walked to the door to open it and turn my sole imagination to reality.

By the time I reached the door, I stopped, took a pause and brought all of the seriousness and stern expressions on my face. Slowly curling my fingers around the knob of the door I turned it down and slightly pulled it in my direction.

It was his shoes my eyes fell on firstly.

And it was the moment when I recognized him. Gradually, I scrolled my eyes up, on his macular legs, to his heavy thighs and perfectly build body, to his squared shoulders, to his olive green eyes.

My orbs got stuck on his face, all the expression I had formed on my face moments ago had been evaporated by the gush of air that just made its way in when I opened the door. My eyes shot wide open and mouth fell agape.

"What's wrong?" He spoke in his manly accent.

I forced myself of the state of extreme shock, all my hopes hived in my eyes were stuck in them as the figure on the other side of the door took me by shock. He broke my expectations and flew off the bees of hope I collected. I could hear their buzzing sound as they fluttered in front of my eyes.

"Oh! Nothing." I said quite forceful.

"Was you expecting someone else?"

"No no! Why are you here?"

He casted a strange look at my face as if I asked a kind of question I wasn't supposed to be.

"Umm.. actually, I meant do you have some business or need some favor?"

I tried to cover up.

"Well, I came here to ask about Carl. When will he be home?"

"Amm, he told me he'll be home in the evening. Maybe, late evening. Let's see."

"Oh!" He narrowed his eyes as if he was pressing some thoughts.

"Yeah! I'll inform his about you once he's back home."

"Ok! Thanks!" He said while turning around to leave.

I shut the door off when he began to walk.

I walked back to my previous position completely disheartened and disappointed.

"What the heck!" I stomped my feet on the floor. Actually, I wasn't angry on him as much as I was on myself. Afterall, it was me who started this all in the first place.

I had given him the leverage to come close to me. I behaved nicely to him even when I didn't know him personally. I took lifts from him, had lunch with him.

Who was he to me. No one. Not even a friend.

Though, I had began to consider him as my friend up till today, but now he's actually no one to me. A stranger.

"Grace, doesn't take lifts from strangers, doesn't become friendly to strangers, doesn't allow them to come closer and peek through her heart. Neither jokes with strangers not allow them to do the same with her. And not even insult her like this." I was dictating to myself when I heard the key getting in the lock and turning in it. The door clicked open and Carl walked in.

I saw him coming in over my shoulder, but without turning fully and greeting him properly, considering how he had been behaving with me after that baseless argument which always resulted in nothing good but a quarrel between us, I walked forward, bent down and picked my bag before marching towards my room as he stood in the little corridor and saw me walked past him.



Drenched in a cocktail of shame, regret, and frustration over the encounter with that man, I stomped my feet on the floor as I made my way back to the living room. The television show continued to play on the screen, but I was in no mood to watch it any longer. With a decisive press of the remote's power button, I silenced the room, yet my mind buzzed with his words. "What did I do to deserve to be treated like this?" I wondered, the echo of his accusations ringing in my ears. It had all started as a harmless joke, a little jest on my part, yet he had reacted with such disproportionate intensity.

Sinking into the sofa, I let my hair fall forward as I absentmindedly twirled strands around my finger. "You were in the wrong, but now you'll have to face the consequences," I muttered to myself, grappling with a mix of indignation and defiance. While I acknowledged that my actions may have been misguided, I refused to feel ashamed of them. My cheeks flushed with a blend of embarrassment and righteous anger as memories of the confrontation replayed in my mind. "How dare he," I seethed silently, feeling a surge of resentment towards him. "He's rude. He's uncouth."

The insult lingered like a bitter taste in my mouth, and I vowed silently, "I will not forget this, Mr. Arthur."

I was engrossed in my own thoughts of abhorring him, cursing him, and making plans of taking revenge on him, when all of a sudden I heard a knock on the door. My first intuition after hearing it was that it might be Arthur at the door, after realizing, finally, that whatever he has done was wrong and after having pondered on the whole situation with a cool mind he must have realized that he overacted and he's here now to apologize.

"Oh, so he's finally here!

But I'll not open the door on first knock. He has to wait. Wait Mr., Wait!"

I remained seated in the sofa though my ears were hooked to the door waiting for another knock. And another one after that as I had planned not to open it quickly, as it might be the impression that I get over excited or even I was waiting for him to come for whatever purpose.

"No I'm least interested in him."

"Go to hell."

I said as another knock on the door resonated.

I ignored it. Actually, I was enjoying it. Having the vision that he's outside banging his fist on my door just for me to open it and he could apologize.

Could say in his honied-voice, "I'm sorry."

I pursed my lips and stretched them as having imagine that scene alone gave me immense satisfaction, especially, after having been insulted from him.

After a brief pause comes the third knock. A more forceful, thunderous, and eager. I finally decided to move my ass of the sofa and walked to the door to open it and turn my sole imagination to reality.

By the time I reached the door, I stopped, took a pause and brought all of the seriousness and stern expressions on my face. Slowly curling my fingers around the knob of the door I turned it down and slightly pulled it in my direction.

It was his shoes my eyes fell on firstly.

And it was the moment when I recognized him. Gradually, I scrolled my eyes up, on his macular legs, to his heavy thighs and perfectly build body, to his squared shoulders, to his olive green eyes.

My orbs got stuck on his face, all the expression I had formed on my face moments ago had been evaporated by the gush of air that just made its way in when I opened the door. My eyes shot wide open and mouth fell agape.

"What's wrong?" He spoke in his manly accent.

I forced myself of the state of extreme shock, all my hopes hived in my eyes were stuck in them as the figure on the other side of the door took me by shock. He broke my expectations and flew off the bees of hope I collected. I could hear their buzzing sound as they fluttered in front of my eyes.

"Oh! Nothing." I said quite forceful.

"Was you expecting someone else?"

"No no! Why are you here?"

He casted a strange look at my face as if I asked a kind of question I wasn't supposed to be.

"Umm.. actually, I meant do you have some business or need some favor?"

I tried to cover up.

"Well, I came here to ask about Carl. When will he be home?"

"Amm, he told me he'll be home in the evening. Maybe, late evening. Let's see."

"Oh!" He narrowed his eyes as if he was pressing some thoughts.

"Yeah! I'll inform his about you once he's back home."

"Ok! Thanks!" He said while turning around to leave.

I shut the door off when he began to walk.

I walked back to my previous position completely disheartened and disappointed.

"What the heck!" I stomped my feet on the floor. Actually, I wasn't angry on him as much as I was on myself. Afterall, it was me who started this all in the first place.

I had given him the leverage to come close to me. I behaved nicely to him even when I didn't know him personally. I took lifts from him, had lunch with him.

Who was he to me. No one. Not even a friend.

Though, I had began to consider him as my friend up till today, but now he's actually no one to me. A stranger.

"Grace, doesn't take lifts from strangers, doesn't become friendly to strangers, doesn't allow them to come closer and peek through her heart. Neither jokes with strangers not allow them to do the same with her. And not even insult her like this." I was dictating to myself when I heard the key getting in the lock and turning in it. The door clicked open and Carl walked in.

I saw him coming in over my shoulder, but without turning fully and greeting him properly, considering how he had been behaving with me after that baseless argument which always resulted in nothing good but a quarrel between us, I walked forward, bent down and picked my bag before marching towards my room as he stood in the little corridor and saw me walked past him.