The Stranger

So...last night I had to write a paper for English.
And I didn't want to, but I did.
So I whipped this off in about 15 minutes.
And...enjoy. Or don't. :)

I see you all the time, and yet I don’t know you at all. You’re there, on the bus, on the way to the city. You’re there at the store when I make an emergency trip after realizing I don’t have enough eggs to make my cookies. You’re right there, right in front of me in the park, on my weekend walks with my dog. You’re near, and I feel like I know you, though we’ve never spoken.
Do you remember the time, at the bus stop? I was running late and almost missed it. Did you watch me, from your seat, like I watched you as I walked down the aisle? I wonder, if you were observing me, until I set my eyes on you and you looked away. And when I sat behind you, did you think about turning around, and introducing yourself? Did you know that as I stared at the back of your head, I was debating with myself whether or not to say hello. If I had, would we be friends now, or would we still just be strangers?
That one day, I could tell you were having a bad one. On the day when you seemed to have forgotten your umbrella and it started to rain. I had mine, and maybe, if we knew each other, I would have shared. Instead I averted my gaze and moved on, ignoring your unpleasant wetness. I had places to go; I didn’t have time to help you, a stranger to me.
I remember when I caught your eye, across the room at a New Year’s Eve party. We each quickly looked away. I wonder, though, what if we’d held it. What if we just spent the night staring into each other’s eyes? What if you or I had walked over, and introduced ourselves? Would we have found a parallel in our interests, and spent the night discussing it at great lengths? Or would the conversation have fizzled and become awkward? All my what-ifs could have been answered if only one of us were brave enough to approach.
Only yesterday, I saw you on the street. We drew closer and closer and I felt my heart pounding in anticipation. Could this finally be it? Would we finally meet and be introduced? I opened my mouth to talk to you, and you were gone. Where did you go? Did you not wonder the same things as I wonder now? Who is that stranger? Or am I just some other person on the street? Do you count up the meetings we have as I’ve grown accustomed to, or do you not even notice me?
Okay, I’ve made up my mind. The next time we meet, be it tomorrow or years from now, I’ll introduce myself. I’ll stop asking myself what-ifs, and just take a chance. The mystery of your presence will be solved and my curiosity quenched. I’ll see you around, stranger.