I watched two people finish coffee today.
They’d been sitting by the window for maybe an hour. Nothing dramatic. Talking, leaning forward, checking their phones occasionally.
Eventually they stood up, put on their coats, and walked outside together.
And then they did a very complete goodbye.
A little smile.
“Good seeing you.”
“You too.”
“Take care.”
“You too.”
One of them even did the small final wave.
Finished.
Except they both turned left.
Same sidewalk...
same direction...
For about ten seconds they walked beside each other without speaking.
Then one slowed down.
The other slowed down.
Which somehow made the whole thing worse.
I could see both of them realizing it at exactly the same time.
They had already used the goodbye.
That was the problem.
You can’t immediately start talking again after a good goodbye. It feels like reopening a meeting that has already been adjourned.
Already said goodbye...
still walking side by side...
They reached the corner.
I thought, there. Fixed.
They crossed the street together.
Same direction again.
One of them pointed ahead like, apparently, yes, I also continue to exist over there.
The other nodded.
Walk faster...
walk slower...
look at a window...
This is the kind of situation introverts train their whole lives to avoid.
The social interaction is finished.
Everyone performed the ending correctly.
And yet the geography refuses to cooperate.
Go your way...
I’ll go mine...
Finally, half a block later, one of them turned down another street.
Another wave.
Much smaller this time.
That goodbye worked.
I watched the other person keep walking.
Apparently sometimes the hardest part of ending a conversation is physically getting away from it.
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