It Doesn't Hurt to Speak

I was raised to speak to people when they speak to me. A simple "Hello" or a nod to acknowledge a fellow human is courteous behavior.
On my way into a waiting room this week, I quickly noticed two women on my right. One of them was interacting with a computer. Another was reading a book. To my left were three men.  I walked to the left, said a soft "Hello." The older-looking man directly in my eyesight jerked his head. He looked up from his cell phone and frowned at  me with an expression of Why are you speaking? I don't know you! (He kept this sour face the whole time he waited.) The other two men nodded  "Hello." Very polite. I sat in the chair next to the older man and busied myself with my reading material. When I got hungry, I opened a pack of breakfast crackers, bowed my head and  prayed silently, and ate my crackers. I noticed the man across from me had sandals on his bare feet(in February). That made me smile because it reminded me of the young people on our college campus back in the day. Some of them wore sandals all year long, no matter what the weather. They often called themselves hippies. They were mellow and hung out with all kinds of people of all skin tones. The other man was scrolling on his cell. I got the sense he wanted to chat, but didn't want to offend me in any way.
After awhile, the technician entered the room and let the older guy know his car was ready. That older dude came to life, all chuckles and conversation! He left the room with the technician. I shook my head and smiled. The other two men noticed and smiled, too.
In a few minutes, the man wearing the sandals commented about how he had to get work done on his car because his wife needs it for work. We chatted about that. When it was time for him to leave, he thanked me for encouraging him. Then I had a car conversation with the remaining man. He explained some car features to me, like the "ECO" light in my car. We reminisced about the days when we changed our engine oil ourselves instead of taking our cars to the dealership. My car was ready before his. We both thanked each other for the pleasant and informative conversation.
I'll probably never see either of them again, but at least the three of us strangers shared positive human interaction. That's a good thing.
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com