Jaime Castillo

You walk into a room and before you are two empty chairs. The clock on the wall says 3:01pm. You walk around the room and take in your surroundings. The seat to the right looks comfortable so you sit. The brightness of the lights heats your skin and a few droplets of sweat rise on your forehead. In your stomach you feel anxious, not a lot, but just enough that you feel the butterflies. You are alone. Across from you you take another look at the other chair and think to yourself, Who is joining me? What will we be discussing? A moment passes, you take a deep breath and the door to your left opens. A man walks in. He will be working with you today. He is walking slowly, is slouched over, and is avoiding eye contact. With each step you begin to think, Why is he walking so slowly? He looks sad… maybe depressed? Did he have a bad day? Did he have a good day? The man now stands before the chair in front of you. Your thoughts are racing, but you continue to observe the man. What is his body language telling me? Does he feel the same warmth from the lights as I do? Where is he coming from and what brings us together today? What is this man thinking about me? What are we going to talk about? You glance at the clock again, 3:02pm.