Lunch: A Commitment I'm Just Not Comfortable With

About a month ago, I was invited to a work function. As I scanned the names of the people invited, I saw that a guy I went to university with was also included. I had no idea this dude worked at the same company I did (I just love corporations!), and I hadn't talked to him in the 8 years since I graduated.

Feeling much more upbeat and social than usual, I thought I would write the guy an e-mail and ask him if he'd like to go grab a coffee. E-mails were exchanged, and a mutually convenient time was picked. Then, the guy bailed on the coffee the day of, stating that he was ill. Thinking perhaps that he really had no intention of wasting 30 minutes of his life with yours truly, I told him to re-schedule our appointment at a time that was good for him. Shocking as it may be to our reader(s), it appeared that this fellow decided that he didn't want to enjoy the social ecstasy that is experienced by those who get to hang out with me, as he never replied.

Fast forward to earlier this week, when the aforementioned work function actually happened. I bumped into the guy there, and he was all, "Hey! Sorry I never got back to you on the coffee! Actually - screw coffee! Let's do LUNCH!"

Beep, beep, beep - let's back this baby up a second. I was prepared to commit to a 15 - 30 minute coffee where if the conversation lagged, I could pick up my still steaming cup, and head back to work. (And by "work", I mean "surfing the net".) If a lunch goes south, you're completely fucking trapped. I mean, if the appetizers come, and this dude starts breaking out pictures of the wife and kids and droning on about some mundane shit, it's not like I'm going to pick up my bowl of soup, and say, "Let's do this again real soon!" as I'm walking out.

Shit. And the guy actually booked the lunch too. I think it's next week. I'm fucking terrified.