Okay, so hear me out — I didn’t think this was gonna stick with me, but here we are, weeks later, and I’m still thinking about this stranger like it’s some kind of indie movie subplot.
It was a random Thursday night. I’d just grabbed takeout, nothing fancy, just tacos from the food truck near my apartment. I’m juggling a paper bag, my phone, my keys — doing that awkward dance at the crosswalk where you’re trying not to drop anything. Then I notice someone standing across from me, waiting for the light too.
He’s got headphones on, nodding a little to whatever he’s listening to, hoodie half-zipped, holding a skateboard like he just walked out of a coming-of-age movie. And I don’t know, something about the whole vibe made me look twice.
The light changes, we both step into the street, and then — of course — my bag rips. Tacos everywhere. It’s a crime scene. I just freeze, half ready to laugh, half ready to cry.
And he actually stops. Takes out one earbud, crouches down, helps me pick stuff up. We end up laughing about how tragic the whole thing looks, and he goes, “Guess the universe really didn’t want you to have dinner tonight.”
That’s literally it. We talked for, what, maybe 30 seconds while shoving broken tacos back into the bag like that would save them. The light turned, cars started honking, and we both went our separate ways.
Here’s the thing — I cannot stop thinking about that moment. Not in some wild rom-com “he’s the one” kind of way, but like… who was he? Where was he going? Was he just being nice or did he think I was cute standing there with salsa all over my hands?
I don’t even know why it stuck. Maybe because people don’t stop for strangers much anymore. Maybe because it felt like for a second the city paused and I actually connected with someone instead of staring at my phone.
I even went back to that crosswalk the next few nights — not, like, in a creepy way, just… you know, hoping lightning would strike twice. Never saw him again.
And honestly, it’s kinda fine? It’s almost better that way. I get to keep this little scene in my head exactly how it happened — the laugh, the way he tilted his head when he said that thing about the universe, the way I walked home still smiling even though my dinner was a total loss.
So yeah, maybe it was just A Fleeting Moment. But damn, I think I needed it. Not because I need a stranger to fix my night, but because it reminded me that even on a random Thursday, in the middle of a messy week, something small can happen and completely reset your mood.
Anyway, if taco guy somehow reads this: thanks for helping me pick up my dinner off the street and for making me laugh about it. You made my night.
