a not so brief moment

I first met Brett for drinks in Leederville. We had, of course, first chatted on Grindr for a short time. This was another of those meet just as friends. I never had plans on hooking-up with Brett. That said, I figured if the night went well and we clicked in that way, I wouldn’t say no to the evening progressing. Brett was easy to chat with and both the conversation and alcohol flowed quite steadily. I had recently been introduced to the wonderful sport of roller derby and was taking much delight in explaining the details to Brett.

When it came time to leave The Garden, I stood outside with Brett stuck in one of those moments of uncertainty. The ones that seem to last ever so much longer than they actually do. The night had gone well, I was open to the idea of it not ending yet. Did Brett feel the same? Quickly tiring of the moment lasting so long, I was on the verge of asking Brett if he wanted to come back to my place, words forming and about to be spoken… then a cab pulled up and Brett spoke before me and exclaimed he would take the cab home.

The moment ended.

We said our good byes and thanked each other for a nice evening. Brett left in the cab, and I strolled the short walk home. At least I knew that Brett and I would definitely only be friends. Clearly Brett was not interested in anything more. What else was I expected to think?

A cab pulling up, perfectly timed. It was one of those seemingly insignificant events. That single moment shaped my thoughts on Brett. Moulded my mind about the kind of friendship that we would have. It would factor in, largely, the next time that Brett and I would see each other. I didn’t know at the time just how significant that moment would be.

It does make me wonder what might have been different if the cab was just a second later, or didn’t even pull up at all.

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