Why I am not waving/smiling at you

I often get irritated remarks from people who feel I don't "flicker" in recognition when I see them from a distance. Fair point usually, for I am liable to walk past without a hearty Woosteresque "what ho!". The usual explanations consist of sometimes laying the blame at the doorstep of an introverted personality type (which is easier to mention and difficult to justify) and partly to the development of a pair of slightly myopic eyes (easier to justify but difficult to mention if you don't want to bring up the contents of all your latest personal defects).

There is a third angle of course. For I was quite a forthcoming and enthusiastic "recogniser" in the past. Until a few public setbacks. Of which the most embarassing can be recounted to elicit a few cheap laughs on a boring weblog.

I was expecting a friend of mine to drop by home in the evening. An urgent mission to the grocery store caused my stepping out of the house. Walking down the lane, I spied a figure approaching in the distance - essentially satisfying all major criteria of the expected visitor, namely gender, type of apparel, approximate age and make of vehicle. Eager to intercept her before she got the bad (or good - I never found out) news of my absence at home, I took a step towards the middle of the lane and waved cheerily. As you will have already guessed, it wasn't my friend. And judging from the more than slightly freaked out response of the rider nor was she likely to become one in the future. She swerved with an unpleasant look. Embarassment stemmed from the presence of certain highbrow neighbours in the vicinity who observed every bit of this scene with the interest of a film critic looking for a turkey to went his frustrations upon.

Now perhaps, you believe that my subsequent lowering of excited cheering in reaction to this minor incident was too much, perhaps you are right. In which case I offer my senstive (ahem) and shy nature as the culprit again.

Bottomline: wave to me even if I'm not reciprocating. I'm just not sure if it's you or that girl again, that's all.