Thought Picnic: Stood Up

Messing with my agenda

Calmly and without much emotion the conversation on the phone ended the plan to meet up for an afternoon that had been arranged and anticipated.

For one who flees the country at a whim, there was some expectation for the weekend; guests and friends require preparations and lots of it.

The mind in overdrive about what to serve for drinks and what to cook for food, have a set menu or prepare for choices and a marathon cooking session to sate nostalgic palates.

Choosing the latter, the fridge door could hardly close for its load to be lightened in hours; all was set for the afternoon.

What to serve

In the bush, cauldrons would have been set on tripods with the firewood lit underneath ready for the first condiments and ingredients. A sixth sense intervened to exercise caution, these guests could be choosy and everything laid out might go to waste.

At the liturgical none when the doors to the humble abode would have greeted the arrival of the honoured and esteemed, there was none to greet for they had not arrived.

Halfway towards the 10^th hour, came the notice, a surprise situation had happened leading to a cancellation and yours truly at a very loose end.

Not again in dreams or reality

It makes you wonder if you can lay any stock to such arrangements and the accompanying inconvenience with the unexpressed annoyance at terminating a rendezvous without notice and selfishly on my part without consideration.

Just when I thought my scales were tipping at the wrong side of heavy, the nightmare of heavier looms.

One must not boast of being the best host but the prospect of a new date is as good as toast.

Oh! It must have been a nightmare, my banquet laid out for invisible guests was a dream, a deep yearning for company, and surely, I cannot have in reality been stood up. Surely, not!