Isn’t it a fun game to strike up conversations with strangers on the most eccentric of topics? It is just a little bit of entertainment for these bored eyes and ears. I find it helps you make friends far more easily than introducing yourself in a dull manner. After all, they will remember you.
I was on a quest to find the answer to a curious question posed in a different conversation at this yearly soirée. It could’ve stopped there—at the end of that strange topic, had I not thought it would be funny to ask strangers an indecent question. And one of the hosts made that possible. He was my ticket to new groups, usually separated by invisible walls of hesitation, social anxiety and prior connections.
We took a step into a new arena, decorated by a pool and a pizza oven, and he told his friends I had a question for them. Many of the men there found humour in my curiosity, and unsurprisingly, also found it uncomfortable. My question only sparked confusion and new questions, to which I found even more amusing. Perhaps, it is an unsavoury hobby of mine to make people squirm and discard the typical niceties I loathe so much.
How do you take ketamine?
It sure got people talking. Past the men who didn’t dare answer my question, presumably fearing they may be outed for the information they obviously knew and withheld, I eventually received an “anonymous” answer through our mutual connection, the host. But I was still not satisfied and continued to poke the bear, comparing methods of inhalation, injection, and more, asking if they were certain about their answer. Oh, the absurdity of it all. How could you not laugh at this sitcom-like scene?
I enjoyed the entertainment while it lasted, but I found more fulfilment in the later topics of life I shared with the wife of one man. And I am more surprised about how our lives seemingly intersect with others. She found me through social media first—when I had gone viral—and discovered we knew the same people, all in different contexts. And how strange is it that the world suddenly seems so big and small at the same time? I really am glad for the small talks and unexpected links we find with others.
But once the celebrations are over, the lows start to kick in and the boredom returns. Every year, I get the honour of enjoying a Beef Wellington, which can only be described as laborious. And I get to enjoy it with old and new friends. It’s the same kind of experiential joy I receive every year, only this time something was new. Somehow, I caught the attention of someone. And I have no idea who it could have been.
All this whisper of someone asking about my relationship status and whether I would be interested did make my day more interesting. But inconsequential nonetheless. Through this small blip of novel reality, I realised one thing. My friend, the other host whom I have not yet mentioned, was the one to inform me of such a thing. And he is someone I trust. I admire his level of dedication and discipline that I find I respect very few people to the degree that I respect him. Though, why is this even important?
Despite not sharing the same circles as before, and the unfortunate distance that comes from that, we have known each other for many years. And I would say he seems to know and understand me well. So when he laid out details about these whispers, I resigned myself to his authority about the man in question. It surprised me—that even though I had my trust broken in such big ways by another man, I could wholeheartedly put my faith in my friend about something like this. And I trusted his rejection on my behalf.
So in the aftermath of ketamine highs and the pit of lows, I realised I had overcome some obstacles. And if my bizarre story is not proof of my growth, I really don’t know what else is.
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