Who's That Knocking at My Door?

After my second 2-hour-long visit to Dr. Christmas, my dentist, I felt a bit strange in my mouth.  There is indeed a stranger in my mouth now, a temporary crown that looks—I dared to gaze at Dr. Christmas’ silver plate for one second and got the impression—a miniature copper kitchenware.  

Back on campus, I was hungry but would rather give my teeth a rest; I visited the Youtube site of “Nights in While Satin” and turned it up to maximum volume.  As I realized that it might be too loud and tried to turn it down, there was a knock at the door.

It took me one minute to stand up, go around the desk and open the door; yet within that minute I thought of 5 candidates for the one behind the door—all were my colleagues and students.  Even though the knock sounded unfamiliar to me, I anticipated somebody I knew.

When the door opened, however, I saw a stranger in front of me.

He was young, tall, shy, hesitant, a bit nervous, a bit clumsy, and—surprised.  I could tell that I surprised him in the same way that he surprised me.

“Are you looking for someone in our department?”

“No... no…;  I just …”

I could not hear him well because of the song; so I returned to my desk and turned down the video, “I beg your pardon?”

This time I understood him completely: he, a first-year student, dared to knock at the door of an unknown faculty for the same reason that I dared to gaze at my dentist’s tool plate—curiosity, and excitement.

Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” happens to be his favorite song as well.  While sitting in the lobby next to my office typing, he suddenly heard the song and could not help but find out the person who was playing it.  The maximum volume revealed my passion for it and encouraged him to seek the origin of resonance.

In the next few minutes we got to know each other.  He ended up showing interest in my course offerings, although he doubted that he would be capable or eligible to take them.

This unexpected encounter was enlightening for me:

1.       In the building for language, literature, and communication, it was music that initiated the first dialogue between two strangers;

2.      Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” came out in 1967; true beauty does not age;

3.      Do not guess who’s knocking at the door; be ready for double surprise.