Let’s Talk! – A Furtive Glance

What comes to YOUR mind when you read today’s prompt from my friend, author Tyrean Martinson’s book, A Pocket Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts?

There are furtive glances that indicate at once that something wrong is happening. Have you ever passed by people who glance at you furtively because they have something to hide? Such as dealing drugs out of their cars? Because it happens, and they need to figure out whether they can get away with it.

Or kids’ furtive glances in school. How many times during English or French class exams did somebody try to peek at what I had written into my exercise book in order to copy from me? And, to be honest, I wasn’t immune either. I remember getting caught for copying something ridiculous from a friend’s exam paper during a biology exam one time. As our teacher couldn’t make out who of us had come up with the nonsense first and who had cheated, he failed us both, even though I fessed up that I had been the culprit. That certainly cured me from furtive glances into other people’s exam papers.

But furtive glances can also be the best of glances when they are coming with kind intentions. When they start something good. And I bet you have cast those glances, too, or received them.

My best recollection is my first encounter with who would become my future husband. I was standing in a crowded Irish pub in my home town. There was an Irish singer/songwriter on stage, and the barkeep had poured me my usual, a pint of Strongbow, as soon as I had darkened the door, even though he was beleaguered by American military personnel who were waiting to get their orders in. As I settled in a corner from where I could observe the room, I spotted this tall, very serious looking guy in a crowd of younger men. Was it his haircut that seemed less military than that of other guys? Was it his neat buttoned shirt that made him stand out from a group of T-shirt clad people? I gazed over furtively, every once in a while. I couldn’t make head nor tails of what a position or rank he had with his fellow Americans.

Little did I know that I had also registered with him. Because he told me later on that he had cast furtive glances over to me, as well. Until he decided to see whether he could start a conversation with me. He could, and the rest is now over 17 years of history.

Furtive glances – they come with a beating heart and a bit of fear to fail in one’s intentions. Looking back, we know which kind of furtive glances are for a worthy cause. And what still makes our hearts beat higher for all the right reasons.