ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Culture
EXIT STRATEGY
Kyle Gray was not expecting to feel awkward at a friend’s place he’d been to many times before.
But given it was his best mate’s girlfriend’s 30th birthday party, it was always going to mean there would be people attending who he hadn’t met before.
Entering a crowded lounge, Kyle immediately found himself caught off guard and trapped in a conversation with somebody he didn’t know before attending the party.
“Hi mate, I’m Tony. So how do you know Monique? I work with her and I don’t really know many others here actually haha” asked unknown acquaintance Tony.
“Oh hi. Nice to meet you. Well I don’t know her super well, I just kinda know her through her boyfriend Freddy,” Kyle responded, immediately realising this conversation may be a bit awkward given Tony’s lack of friends at the party.
Kyle’s evident problem was he couldn’t really use the bathroom exit as an excuse to leave the conversation, as he’d barely drunk a sip of his drink.
After covering the formalities of where each of them worked, it became apparent there weren’t many topics of conversation worthy for both to be engaged in – if any at all. This was abundantly clear after Kyle asked Tony if he watched the Chiefs game last night and Tony responded with “Who are the Chiefs?”.
In a desperate attempt to escape the awkward chat he was having with Tony, Kyle’s eyes darted around the room as he looked for a way to parachute out of the conversation. After spotting people laughing heartily in the distance, it offered him a small lifeline.
“Hey mate, I better go say happy birthday to the birthday girl. I’ll definitely catch up with you later on.”
More to come.
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