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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Malko_Fishirs on 2026-02-15 14:29:52+00:00.
So this actually happened today, and I’m still mentally replaying it while cringing.
I was walking into a small grocery store near my place. It wasn’t crowded, just a few people scattered around. As I grabbed a basket, I noticed a guy near the entrance smiling and waving directly at me. Like, full eye contact, hand up, friendly wave. Naturally, I smiled back and gave him an enthusiastic wave too. Not just a subtle one. A confident, “oh hey, I know you!” type of wave.
He immediately looked confused.
That’s when I heard, from behind me, “Hey!!” in a much more familiar tone. I slowly turned around and saw a woman rushing toward him, clearly the intended recipient of the wave. I was standing directly in her line of sight, perfectly blocking her from him. He had been waving at her the entire time.
The worst part? We were all now standing within two feet of each other. There was no pretending it didn’t happen. I awkwardly lowered my hand and mumbled something that sounded like “sorry” but probably came out as a dying breath. The woman looked at me like I had just tried to steal her friend mid-greeting.
I then had to shop in the same tiny store for the next 10 minutes, periodically making accidental eye contact with both of them in different aisles.
I’m considering changing grocery stores.
TL;DR: Thought a stranger was waving at me, waved back enthusiastically, realized he was greeting someone behind me, had to continue shopping in shame.