13. Haps

If I had thought that I had seen this winter's worst weather, I was sadly mistaken. Conditions worsened just as I was getting ready to embark on today's search for a stranger, with a harsh, cold wind blowing and a deluge of sleet and rain pounding on the roof. On top of that I was working on a severely limited time budget - I was planning to attend one friend's concert and another one's birthday party out of town. The concert was going to take place in the conservatoire, where - when I had studied there a long time ago - there was always somebody to be found taking a quick break in the hallways; I decided - rather than brave the storm - to go early and try my luck there.

When I arrived, Haps was already standing at the door to the concert hall. Since it was immediately clear that we both knew my Violist friend, I introduced myself and found that I had just met my friend's father. At that point I was not sure whether I should proceed: I was worried that this known connection between us might put him under pressure to talk to me when he normally might not. On the other hand, exploring the intricacies and nuances of human interaction is exactly what this project is about - and (on a more practical note) it would be rude of me to break off our conversation and look for somebody else to talk to. When I finally made up my mind and told Haps about Meet a Stranger a Day, he graciously agreed to become a part of it.

There was a certain amount of tension: we both wanted to secure good seats for the concert, which put a deadline on our talk; furthermore the hallway was noisy which led to a somewhat fragmented conversation. Even so, Haps came across as a good-natured, amicable personality - and when I offered to call the whole thing off, if he felt uncomfortable in any way, he declined. It was highly interesting to learn of his work counseling the state in ecological law, and I would have liked to find out more about what I perceived as his deep-seated passion for ecological matters.

What I need to learn:
It would probably have been worth finding a quieter spot - I need to take the time to ensure both I and my vis-à-vis are comfortable with the surroundings.

Haps: Thanks for participating - without you, today's page would probably be blank. Please let me know if there is an exhibition of your artwork!

Short respite from the torrential rain.