Inheriting the Wave

So one time I was walking through a store, and I see someone waving at me from

across the aisle. Like BIG wave. Smiling. Eye contact. So I’m like,

“Oh, they know me.” I wave back. They wave harder. Now we’re locked

in. This is no longer a greeting — it’s a commitment. I’m smiling,

nodding, doing the little “hey!” face. I even start walking toward them because

it would be weird to stop now. Then I notice something terrible. Their eyes shift…

Past me. Slowly. I turn around. No one is there. Not a single human.

Just a shelf of canned beans. Turns out they were waving at someone who walked away,