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Jim Bob
11-21-2007, 05:50 PM
Hi there. I was just wondering what you folks thought about something that I've rolling over in my mind. Recently I was over the pond in the USA and whilst in a café there was this waitress who, essentially, was a bit flirty with me. Nothing much beyond flirty, but me being me, I did nothing as I wasn’t prepared for it, plus I’m quite shy anyway. As is usual for me, I never said anything beyond politely smiling and just left. Now, normally I just chalk these situations down to my shyness and kind of go “oh well” and carry on with my life – another small regret for the pile. But this time, for some reason, I feel like I can’t leave it alone. It’s almost as if I’ve reached a point where my mind is saying “No: no more regrets. This can’t be unresolved”. It’s just a pity I feel this way about the most impractical one of these situations, since I’m now back in the UK so I can’t just pop by the café again and try to make a better account of myself.

My question is this: would it be terribly weird of me to email her, via her work (it’s a kind of famous café/diner with a website)? I mean, if I lived near there it wouldn’t be odd at all (I don’t think) of me to drop by again for a coffee and maybe try to talk a bit more. It’s just in this situation I can’t do that. I’m worried though that emailing might come across as odd and, at worst, a bit like the behaviour of a stalker, which is the last thing I’d want. In my mind I’m thinking that this is no big deal: I’m just a guy who found someone who served him coffee attractive, she showed a tiny bit of interest in me, so I’m throwing in my line. I’m not going to beg for a date or anything, I’d just describe the situation in case she remembers who I was and leave contact details. If she wanted to contact then great; if not, then there’s no need to reply and I’ll just leave it at that. But what would it look like from her point of view?

I know there is pretty much no chance of anything coming of this, and I’m prepared for that, but I just want to at least be able to think to myself “at least I gave it a try”. I’ve messed up enough moments in my life – whether they were chances or not – by doing nothing and they all haunt me daily, and I don’t want this to be another. What I’m worried about though if whether this is a no-lose situation for me, or is there is chance it actually could have unwanted consequences? I’d like to think it would come across as some kind of Hugh Grant type of fumbled but charming gesture, but I’m scared it’s more likely to come across as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, making his move on Betsy the campaign worker by storming into her workplace unannounced. I'm just finding this a very hard one to judge.

Hopefully I don’t come across as a loony by even just writing this! I’m just a single guy who fell for somebody he met, but unfortunately before he had the chance to realise there was 2500 miles of water put in the way.

If anybody's been in similar situations please feel free to post in here too!

CityGal
11-21-2007, 06:08 PM
Was this cafe in NY? If so, it would totally come off as stalkerish, even if you lived in NY. However, having said that, I think you should totally go for it if you are keen on contacting her. It'll be like all those cool movies when out-of-towners stroll into town and sweep the local person off their feet. Go for it. If you are tired of being the shy "bloke", go for it. No harm done.

Se7en
11-21-2007, 06:28 PM
I'd advise against it. She didn't give you her email, so it would be weird and perhaps even slightly creepy for you to look her up through the café's website. I think you lost your window of opportunity, especially if you didn't make a real connection at the time. Don't be concerned, I think we all have come across "missed opportunities" like that.

The fact that you now have 2500 miles of water between you and her only makes it even more of a lose-lose scenario. She may reply to your email just to be nice, but I doubt it will progress much further than that.

With respect to your shyness, I may have a few suggestions. If you want to be able to think to yourself "at least I gave it a try", set yourself a goal of getting out of the house and approaching 3-5 girls within a reasonable time frame. Don't even think about the "outcome", just have fun with it and those restrictive feelings of shyness will gradually become less of an issue for you. Think about what keeps you stuck in your shell, and make a conscious effort to break out of it. It's easier said than done, I realize, but you may just have to throw yourself to the wolves to conquer your fear.

Once that happens, the only "regret" you will have is not having done it sooner.

Samwell
11-21-2007, 06:45 PM
What exactly is the point of doing this, beyond just stepping out of your comfort zone? It seems like it's actually a pretty safe thing to do since realistically the chances are infinitesimal that anything would come of it. Wouldn't it be a better test of your new mindset to try this a little closer to home?

I've actually dealt with the same issue myself so I don't mean to be excessively critical. If you had described this meeting as any more than friendly I might have another opinion, but why not funnel this new found rejection of regret towards something with a higher percentage chance of working out?

winneythepooh7
11-21-2007, 06:59 PM
It seems like a really big long-shot to me. Is this the type of website where the email will be going directly to her? That could be pretty weird if it was a general email, where you hope she ends up with your message. And even then, she might take it as being some kind of spam or just a weirdo due to the type of setting she works in.

Chessboxin
11-21-2007, 07:05 PM
Don't email.

Just go again, even if its not close and talk to her. If she likes you she you will know it soon enough. Try, try and try. Really make an effort, and not so you just can sleep well at night (hey, I tried didn't I?). Just try to make small talk and go from there...see if you can get the conversation to the point were you playfully ask where she likes to go if she is on the customer side.

spiritedaway
11-21-2007, 08:02 PM
I'll agree with the don't email crowd, if she didn't you her email address. It will come across as stalkerish. Also, if she's in the food service industry, she probably sees a lot of people and it's her job to be friendly. Anyway, if you feel that you NEED to contact her, then maybe visit the next time you are in the states again.

Jim Bob
11-23-2007, 12:42 PM
Firstly, thanks for the advice everybody! :)

Yeah, I think I'll just leave emailing. When I wrote it down and then mulled it over a bit more, it did seem pretty stupid. I think I was just in a sort of post-holiday hysteria, where being back home and back in the same boring routine made me pine for that brief moment of, I suppose you could say, glitz and glamour, plus it's not as if my lovelife is setting the world alight over here at the moment.

I suppose it was just a bit of a shallow moment of desperation on my part. It just all seemed a bit exotic and exciting at the time, and when I returned to the dreary routine of home, it made me think that maybe I'd missed a chance. I've cooled down now and in with my sensible, normal head on I can see it would have been not only a long shot, but also a bit full on, if you know what I mean.

Sorry about that folks! I'm actually cringing looking back on that previous post - I sound like the way I did when I was a teenager!