6 April 2026  -- hug

i was at a local civil service office where
i used to work, and it was either my last
day, or i had already left and was back 
visiting. 

at some point, my (/former) coworkers and 
i were busy serving tables and running the
kitchen in a restaurant (In Waking Life/IWL
i have a lot of experience in those 
environments). a manager told me i needed to
leave, as i was just getting in the way by
trying to help. 

i said my goodbyes and good-to-know-yous.
as i walked out a door, a light-complexioned
man with long wavy brown hair nearly to or 
just past his shoulders, was coming in. 

he was wearing a light-colored long-sleeve 
button-down shirt. he turned as i greeted
him, and i said something like, "i'm just
leaving, so goodbye and i wish you luck." 
something in his eyes made me feel welcomed,
and, with only a moment of hesitation, i 
leaned towards him with open arms to hug him.

he seemed genuinely gladdened, and only 
slightly surprised. 

he said, "oh, aw, thank you!" 

we hugged each other closely. it felt very 
authentic and platonic and nourishing. we
were each partially in the threshold and 
partially on either side. 

it was daytime, and there was greenery
around.