The First Time I Ever Felt Seen

I was on my way to join two of my friends at a local pet shop, as I did almost every night around this time. We were preparing to go to our favorite diner like we did almost every night. Of course, we didn’t leave on time because one of my friends is the owner of the pet shop and there is always work to catch up on for him, even when it was closed. None of us was on a time constraint but it didn’t stop my other friend from rushing him. She worked at the pet shop as well, but she has been clocked out for hours and at this point, teasing him was more fun. Of course, they both knew she wasn’t serious. She had been working for him for years and I had only gotten to know him for a short amount of time, but he was friendly and could always hold a conversation about anything so it was easy to open up to him. I was close friends with her, as we have been friends since high school. She can be stubborn and bossy at times, but she also knew how to have fun and always listened when you had something to say. I always looked for a way to get away from my home life, so I would go to the pet shop when they weren’t busy. So it wasn’t long before the three of us started hanging out on a regular basis.

Most of the time, I don’t have a lot to say so when we got in the car I just sat back and listened as they told me stories about some of the animals, coworkers, or even customers they dealt with that day. Sometimes they’d get into funny semi fake arguments about something I never really knew anything about. I’d chime in when I could, especially when the conversation was about movies or make a dumb joke that just came to my head. The car rides didn’t have too many dull moments.

There was a specific lady that would greet my two friends by name because they would come so often. I didn’t go with them very often at this point so she didn’t know who I was, Which was fine, I don’t expect to be remembered very often if I’m not already good friends with the person, due to my quiet nature. We were able to sit down at any booth since we went late enough at night to where the place was almost empty. The three of us would look through the menu even though only two would sometimes order something different. I was not one of them. Sometimes they would both get a different kind of burger, sandwich, or dinner item. I have always had bad eating habits so sometimes I’d debate getting two entrees at once, but typically I’d get my usual breakfast sampler with extra sausage. No matter what, I’d always have the most expensive order, all because of that extra sausage. I don’t ever eat breakfast so going to that diner helped fill that void for me.

We talked and laughed as we waited for our food. Talking to them always felt so easy because we could talk about literally anything. I don’t know how the conversation got to this point but he had mentioned that he knew our comfort foods. I looked at him in confusion, because I didn’t believe he did. He said that hers was deserts and mine was meats. He was right and I felt stunned by that. It was just a small fact but it felt weird that someone knew a habit of mine. Just by observing me order anything with meat, he knew something about me. I’ve always been a stay out of the spotlight kind of person, but it felt nice hearing that someone knows a weird fact about me. In a strange way, I felt like I existed at that moment. A feeling I don’t think I’d ever felt before. It’s a moment I think about every now and then.

Now, some of us may have gone in different directions in life, however, the three of us are still good friends. We even still see each other now and then. Sometimes I’d get a text from him wishing me a good whatever holiday it was at the time. Sometimes I go see her, where she is, and we spend time with all our friends together. When we’re together, it’s like we were never apart.