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Halloween Party Recluses -- Writer's Poke #159

For Writers:

Some people might thrive on being the center of attention, but not me. Actually, if I'm around people I know well, then I don't mind. But thrown into a group of strangers, I would usually rather blend into the background.

One particular Halloween, two of our friends invited us over for a party. The problem was, they would be the only two people there that we knew. The rest of the invited were their buddies from work.

We came really close to not going, but at the last minute, we picked up some cheap masks from Walgreens and headed on over. The party was already in full swing, and all the unknown people were standing around the living room with beers held at the ready.

It's one of those few occasions when I could actually feel the claustrophobia in the air. The living room probably held up to eight or ten people comfortably, but it was never designed for a mob.

Linda and I stayed in the room long enough to get beers, but as quickly as we could, we made our exit through the kitchen to the front room. And for the rest of the evening, we hid and played scrabble.

Do large groups of strangers make you feel uncomfortable, or do you just dive right in and get to know people?

"I do desire we be better strangers." -- William Shakespeare

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