When I Saw You at the Met
Cole Messinger
→BFA FD 2025
It was 6:30 PM when I saw you at the Met. It was dark outside already, every table was packed, and so was yours. And it was loud, and there was salmon for dinner, and the kimchi they served for lunch yesterday now was on the pizza. Yum. You were eating with your friends, laughing with them, and when I waved and tried to catch your eye you didn’t notice. But that’s okay.
I found a seat at one of the long tables upstairs, between two people I didn’t know watching YouTube. It’s where you go to eat when all the other spots are taken like they are now. I sat and also started watching YouTube. I thought about how there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. Nothing too serious though.
I wouldn’t have wanted to squeeze another chair at your table anyway. You were practically touching shoulders with the people sitting next to you. When the table gets cramped like that I just end up zoning out, looking out the window, looking at other people, and feeling lonely. There never seems to be much to talk about when we’re all sitting on top of each other like that. When everyone keeps talking louder and louder to be heard by the person next to them or across from them until everyone in the Met is shouting and no one can hear anything anyone is trying to say. That’s too much for me. At that table, I wouldn’t have been able to really talk to you, or ask about your day, or tell you about mine, or tell you what I’ve been wanting to tell you. It’s not something I can really say with everyone else around.
I’m sorry I haven’t reached out, it’s always something I think about but never do. Not because I don’t like you. It’s more that I’m afraid you don’t really like me and I don’t want to bother you. Maybe that’s why you don’t ask me to eat either.
It was okay to eat by myself. The food tasted fine. I ate quickly and went back to the studio. Of course, I would’ve enjoyed eating with you. These days, I only see you at the Met. It’s always nice to find you here, to catch up and get into something deep, laugh together, and forget about everything we have to do when we leave. It’s been too long now and I promise I’ll reach out soon. But, like I said, it’s okay, we didn’t have plans to eat together anyway. I’m sure I’ll see you here again soon enough. Maybe next time you’ll see me too, and we’ll get to eat together.
Cole Messinger wants to see your favorite thing in the Museum.