Today was a free crêpe day at a certain restaurant, so we went to have our two free Nutella crêpes this evening at the restaurant. While we were sitting at our outside table, and I was looking at something in my man’s phone, a notification popped up: ‘Fio would like to AirDrop 1 photo to you’.
I showed the phone to my man, and he went for it – ‘Let’s see what we get!’ he declared.
It was a terrible, seemingly accidental and slightly blurry selfie of the nose-upward of someone who clearly was inside the restaurant. I had doubts she even knew she had just taken the photo, let alone that she had AirDropped it to anyone. My man thought it had said the name Flo, and so decided to screenshot a photo of the Progressive Flo and send it back…
And he discovered that the phone was actually called Fio’s iPhone, not Flo’s, but he offered the photo anyway over AirDrop. After a short pause, the photo was accepted and delivered. I told him he really should have just sent back the photo she had sent him, so she could see what clearly started it all. He laughed and agreed.
But, before he could send it back to her, he had another photo offer from Fio’s Phone. He accepted. This time, it was clearly an intentional photo of the friend in line with her. We immediately tried to determine who the pair were. I found the area of the restaurant where they had to be – the outer wall was all windows, see, so we could see into the restaurant rather easily from our outdoor table – and my man figured out who they actually were. As soon as he told me, and we both looked over at them, we saw that they were looking around, clearly trying to guess who was on the other end of the AirDropping, but not having anywhere near as many clues as we had – just that it was a male, due to the name of my man’s phone.
We both just keep looking at them, and they eventually notice that we’re watching and that he’s holding a phone and we’re both kind of giggling and smiling off and on as we talk and watch them – I promise it actually was not creepy, though it definitely sounds a little creepy as I write it out right now… As they clearly start to consider that we might be the other end of this exchange, we both give them a clear smile and I wave, making it obvious that they aren’t crazy and that we actually are the right people they were seeking.
They wave back, a little embarrassed, but not very much so. I turn and tell my man to send the original photo now, and then turn back to watch the reaction of the two girls, smiling with anticipation. He sends it, and I know the moment it had gone through.
The girl had no idea she had sent the original photo. The moment it clearly had popped up on her phone, she nearly fell to the ground, hand over mouth, utterly embarrassed and laughing, hard. The friend with her puts a hand on the girl’s back, and also keels forward in laughter. It is clear to us that everything suddenly makes sense to them and that they had unintentionally started the whole exchange.
We can’t stop laughing either, and turn back to each other, filled with joy at the utter silliness of it all. They seem far too embarrassed to look back at us, and we don’t mind.
It was a really great time, and it was super fun to be both detectives and totally silly and friendly all at once.
Thank you, God, for this fun and unexpected connection to others who also were willing to have fun and be connected. We are all people, all your children, and this was a wonderful experience of and reminder of how powerful that bond can be. Thank you for all of it. Thank you for today. Thank you for this life and this family of loving people. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Post-a-day 2023
hannah ananas 