Monday, January 08, 2007

An Introvert's Nightmare

I knew right away when T got back in the car and excitedly pronounced, "THAT was an extrovert's dream!" that I'd made the right decision to wait in the car. Of course, you would never guess what a true extrovert would consider a dream. He was picking up lunch for Kt and I in Quiznos after church. As we pulled up in front of the little take out place, a few other people from church were walking in. Being the true introvert that I am, I chose to wait it out in the car. I mean, all morning in an almost mega-church was enough to knock the wind (or the conversation) right out of me!!

We sent him in with two simple orders, flatbread chicken salad and an untoasted ham and american cheese sandwich. Very simple, he brought Em along to help pick out the chips! When they returned, he just couldn't stop talking about everyone. Mrs. So-and-so was looking so great after her bought with cancer, her husband would happy to talk to him sometime about the future, Mr. Who-see-what's-it's daughter had a great time at Urbana, wants to go to Africa someday, her Rwandan Compassion child was abducted (not a good thing!) and she is ready to go! Then there were the two girls who he met outside of Quiznos who were looking for a Starbucks who had just visited Grace. He was telling them they should try Fusion - better music! He went on and on....

When we got home, Kt grabbed her sandwich and looked dejectedly at her father. "Dad, I said NOT toasted! This is hot." He gave her that, "So?" quizzical look. She then opened her warm sandwich to find cheddar cheese on it, he once again dismissed her dislike. "Just eat it, it'll be fine!" I then pulled out my "flatbread" salad to find no flatbread. Um, that's kind of the reason you order flatbread salad, right? I just said to him, "Next time, why don't you pay attention to what you are SUPPOSED to be doing?!" Not a detail oriented person when it comes to tasks, only when it comes to people.

T promptly took his extroverted self out of the room and hid in his office so we could suffer in silence. He must have had way too much more to share about all the people he met in his 10 minutes in Quiznos, but realized his failing in his task. Who knows? I will never understand that part of being an extrovert, because I'm an introvert, and now I know; Quiznos is an introvert's worst nightmare!

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