I Met the Joker

Went to a meeting the other day and there was a guy in the meeting who had a sort of misshaped mouth that made it look like he was smiling all the time.

It was weird.

The meeting was a serious sort of affair where we were going over policies and procedures and every time I locked eyes with the guy as I was talking...he seemed to be smiling.

So I sort of smiled back.

Then his brow furrowed a bit because he must of thought that there was something wrong with me.

Why would I be smiling while talking about compressed air during a confined space meeting?

I think the guy thought I was making a pass at him or something.

Moments later someone else started talking and he turned to look at her and I sort of gauged the fact that, like the joker, his face was a perpetual smile.

Then he must of felt my eyes upon him cause he turned to look at me quickly, and I darted my eyes away.

He must of thought:

"What the f&*$k's up with this guy?"

As the meeting ended the room sort of broke up and I quickly made for the front door. I was stifling a bit of a laugh over the whole thing and my hand was on the door to sweet freedom when he called:

"Cliff!"

I turned back and returned his smile.

I think.

I was sort of too far gone by then.

"Did you work at Great Lakes Environmental?" He asked.

"Yeah, back about ten years ago," I said.

"That's where I knew you from!" He said. "I could tell you were trying to figure it out too. How you been?"

I was certain I'd never seen him before the meeting started, but we shook hands.

He seemed to smile at me as I walked away.

I just can't be sure.