The time I told a stranger I'd steal her bag.
The building I work in is practically owned by the company that pays my salary. At most maybe 3 floors have a different corporation. So inevitably I see the same exact people on my floor, in the elevators, in the pantry. Wherever. There's really not a lot you can do outside the building, so you're kinda stuck with it.
This unfortunately breeds a false sense of familiarity - and heavens know that I don't have the best memory. I smile at strangers, wave enthusiastically, in the assumption that they're people I hang out with. Plot twist: I don't know these people.
Which leads me to this. Exhausted after a long day, I'm waiting for the elevator to arrive and bring me down to the lobby. Now, our laptops are extremely bulky, and it's pretty normal for everyone in the office to have a miniature carry on with wheels. There's really not a lot of bags that are professional yet cute, so finding one is a treat.
A lovely lady rolls up next to me with an equally lovely bag that I'm openly coveting. I say hello, because it's a familiar face, and I enthusiatically complement her and her bag. I talk about my day, ask her about hers. As the elevator dings on our floor, I tell her that her bag is nice enough for me to steal (verbatim: Nakaw-able ang bag mo). And as the elevator doors slowly open, the knowledge simultaneously dawns on me: I DON'T KNOW THIS WOMAN.
I immediately pretend that I've forgotten something, wave her on ahead and rush back to the office. As I frantically call my friend telling her what stupid thing I've done, the other shoe drops. That lovely lady with the lovely bag? She was one of the leads, and a bigwig in the office.
I spend the rest of the week, attempting to stay glued to my seat, begging for schedules to work remotely, and running accross hallways, always with the prayer of never seeing this woman again. Which I inevitably do. On the upside, I think I amused her. So after that, everytime she'd see me, she'd wave hello, give me a smile and point to her bag.
Pro-tip: Don't tell a stranger that you'd love to steal her bag.