new policy

so. i have a new policy. a no-talking-to-strangers policy. when i walk back to the subway after work, i tend to see the same people every week. most of them have no names. just identifiers. first i check to see if the psychic is still awake, if she's on the phone, or if her son is on the phone. then i walk past the econo lodge and see if the black girl is working or the asian girl is working. then i cross the street and wave to the mexican guy with the ponytail at the pizza shop. right next to the pizza place is a bar where there are usually three homelss guys. one gave me a rose. and then took it back after i told him i wasn't going to pay him $5 for it. another sells newspapers. free newspapers. he recently started talking to me and says that i'm always smiling. today i found out his name is truson. then there's omar, the porter at the edison hotel. then lue at the w hotel. and mohamed at the shish kebab stand right in front of the train station. it took a long time to know their names or even say anything more than "good morning". that's really what i wanted. a sesame street moment where we all wave hi and i head on home. now omar wants to hang out and lue wants to go on a picnic. but if i see these ppl away from their hotels, what will happen if we end up hating each other? then i have to find a new way to walk to the train. that's why i have my new policy. or i'm anti-social.