Honest friendliness…
Typically, I’m not one to take people or strangers as being dishonest or deceitful on first impressions. My attitude is: people are honest unless they prove to me otherwise. This changed for me today.
I was standing in line for a bus from the ferry terminal in Tsawwassen and some fellow behind me holding a guitar case asked nicely if this bus went downtown. After quickly mentioning that it stopped at Granville station and waterfront, I realized he didn’t know where those were. He told me that he wanted to get to Richard’s on Richards, and I told him this bus goes right near there. So far so good.
He then casually asks where I’m from and what I’m doing tonight. I answer him vaguely telling him I live in Burnaby and that I don’t have any plans for the night. He then mentions that he’s from out of town and is going to a concert at Richard’s and that I should come, I’ll love it (as if he knows what music I like). I felt at this point he realizes he could take advantage of me. He plays up the fact that he’s got nowhere to stay and will probably just camp out on the beach and play guitar, all lonely like…
Now there’s no real way for me to show you exactly how he said it, but his tone of voice, his body language, it all just seemed too fake and hammed up to be anything other then “can I stay at your place?”. It’s the first time a stranger has ever filled me with indignation in such a short period of time. I felt cheated out of a conversation! He has almost ruined stranger’s credibility with me!
I think my bigger question for myself if should I be more skeptical of stranger’s friendliness? I realize that not all strangers want (or seem) to want to stay chez moi, but still… Oh my, has this city instilled into me the coldness towards strangers that so many here seem to have?
Damn you big city. Damn you.
