Can I Have Your Number?

This week has been all over the place – up, down, and around the corner, from an amazing Sweet Green salad dinner-date with girls from Georgetown to finding out I will most likely be having knee surgery again. Thank goodness today is Friday and we are going into a long weekend – I am looking forward to some good old fashioned R and R.   Until then, I want to share a little story with you.

On Christmas Day after opening presents and cherishing every last minute with my family, I arrived at the Florida airport headed back to Nueva York.  I had my travel wheeley suitcase, my oversized Target for Phillip Lim bag, and was ecstatic coming off of a great long weekend with my brother and parents.  I had only packed one “cold weather outfit”, the one I wore on the plane ride down so I had it back on.  It combines three of my favorite items – a sequin top, red jeans, and my gold detailed LuLu booties. This outfit makes me happy and after a few days of sun I was really feeling great.  I zipped right up to the security check point and it was not until I was three people from the ticket taker that I decided to casually get out my boarding pass and ID.  Boarding pass? Check.  ID? No check.  No bueno.

My cool, calm demeanor instantly vanished. Where was my diver’s licensee? There was now only two people in front of me and I am about to walk up to the TSA counter with no identification.  I quickly pulled myself out of line and began rifling through my bag. Nope, it was not in that secret zipper pocket, in my makeup bag, or in the wrong pocket of my wallet – I did not have my ID in my purse. While I begin to get ready to open my perfectly packed-to-the-brim I suitcase I heard, “Miss, excuse me, Miss?”  I turn around and I see a man starting down at me.  “Yes?” I said beginning to un-zip my suitcase. He said, “You look like you are about to have a melt down but I just want to tell you, I really like your boots.”

He was correct on two accounts, I was freaking out and I did have very cute booties on.  Fast-forward to half an hour later after trying to go through security without a license and it turned out my ID was another purse that was packed away in the suitcase. Once I finally cleared security I headed to the ladies room to put myself back together. When I came out the same guy was sitting at the gate directly across from me and he waved.  I smiled, nodded, and headed to my gate.

Thank goodness I left to have a ton of time between getting to the airport and my flight because I needed it – in fact, even with the security issue I had so much time I put Love Actually in my computer and started the DVD before boarding.  A must have really been zoned out and into the movie because I did not see the man come up to me until he was literally casting a shadow on my laptop. I quickly paused the movie, whipped my headphones out, and said hello.  He said, “You are beautiful, it is Christmas, and if you do not ask, you won’t receive” and handed me a piece of paper. To say I was shocked was putting it lightly.  I am not exactly sure how I responded but I am pretty sure I just awkwardly nodded, smiled, and I really hope I said thank you.  He turned to walk away and then before he got too far he said, “I really like those boots”.

As he continue to walk away I looked at what we had given me – Seth written his number on the back of coffee receipt. I have to tell you, after the stressfulness of the earlier ordeal it was a great way to end my Christmas Day airport experience.  After consulting half a dozen friends I ended up texting Seth a few days later and it turns out we did not have much in common but hey, I tried and wouldn’t that have been a cute story?

And it is true, he gave me his number but for some reason this incident brought to mind the MAD TV skit Can I Have Your Number?   I am not sure why, maybe because it is hysterical and so was the airport ordeal looking back on it.  If you have not seen it, hurry up and watch it because if not, I am not sure if we can be friends.  If you are at work and can not turn the sound on here is a meme of my favorite scene (it starts at 1:09 in the clip):