It is not difficult to identify a lonely man. You can identify him by his posture, his body language, the way he carries himself, the way he moves, and by his facial expression. It certainly was not difficult for Elizabeth to identify a lonely man, given that she prided herself on being a good judge of personality. She had studied psychology, and was adept at identifying people's hidden thoughts and feelings. So it didn't take much for her to decide to talk to Roger when she saw him sitting on a park bench one day. Everything about him communicated a man who needed to be talked to, and one look at him convinced her that she would be the right person for the task.
"Hi," she said simply. She liked to start conversations by just saying this. It initiated a conversation, but required the other person to provide something of substance in order to reveal more of themselves. She was hoping should could find out more about this man before she revealed too much of herself.
"Hi," he said back, in the same simple way. He hadn't been expecting anyone to talk to him, and he certainly hadn't been expecting someone like her to talk to him. She was a young woman around her mid-20s, of medium height and build, with very long hair, and a sweet smile that seemed inviting. She stood there looking back at him, and for a moment, he felt a bit embarrassed, as if he should say something but had no idea what to say. Finally, he said, reflexively, "How are you?"
"I'm good, and you?" she said, still maintaining that same soft smile.
"I'm all right," he said. "Can I help you with something?" This was not the sort of question you normally ask in a friendly setting when you want to be friends with someone, but Roger was just a bit unnerved by the way the woman was staring at him now, and so he reacted in a way that was somewhat distant, because he was trying to maintain control of the situation and wanted to understand what was going on.
"I just wanted to help you feel better," Elizabeth said gently. "You looked so sad and lonely. I thought you could use some cheering up. If you want to talk to someone, I'm glad to talk."
"I'm glad to talk, too," Roger said, speaking slowly because he was trying to let his thoughts get ahead of his words. What was he supposed to say to a woman like this in a situation like this? He had never just met someone out of the blue like this, and not knowing anything about the woman, it was difficult to know what to say to her. "Would you like to sit down?" he offered.
"Gladly, thank you," she said, and sat down next to Roger, somewhat closer than would be usual for friends who had just met each other.
"I'm Roger," he said, not having anything else to talk about.
"I'm Elizabeth," she said. "You will call me Liz."
"I will?" he asked, confused. This was the first time someone had told him that he
will
call them by a friendly name rather than
allowing
him to do so. "What if I prefer Elizabeth?"
"Do you?" she asked.
"Liz is fine," he assured her. "I'm just not used to people telling me what I will call them. Do you usually order people to call you Liz?"
"I didn't order you," she said. "I told you that you will call me Liz because it's what you prefer."
