Joel had been sitting calmly at the library cubicle, just minding his own business as he continued work on his paper, when the little icon at the bottom corner of his laptop screen popped up with the traditional "New Email" message. He had been getting frustrated with the lack of insight into the writing of his paper, so he silently welcomed the interruption. He was soon to revoke that wish. Why me? he thought morosely. Many times over the course of his college career he had wondered how he had ever befriended Danny, Sully, Malcolm and Henry. He certainly didn't have the type of personality that moved in the same social circles as those four. Oh well, what did he know? He hadn't gone thru many years of schooling to study the intricacies of society.
He had one of those bad habits of running his hands thru his hair in nerve-wracking situations, and the present situation was no different than the many that preceded it. Henry Dunn, one of his best friends, had just emailed him to see if he could be a groomsman at his wedding in September. Joel had never been asked to be a groomsman before. He wasn't one of those fun-loving, adventure-seeking kind of guys. He couldn't be the life of the party. Nobody would be crazy enough to offer him a position that required he be all of those things. It was a mistake. Henry accidentally inserted my email address instead of someone else's; someone cool enough to be a groomsman. Joel decided to remedy that by replying to Henry's email, asking if he put Joel's address in by accident. He sent the email and went back to his paper.
Ten minutes later, the email icon popped up again. Joel was apprehensive about clicking on it. It most likely was a mistake, but a small part of him dreaded reading it, on the off-chance that Henry had been correct. He let it sit for a few minutes more while he tried to concentrate on the business proposal he was working on for a class. He couldn't focus, no matter what he tried. He attempted to close his eyes and mentally plot out the proposal, but even in the darkness of his mind, he still saw the blinking icon. He got up and paced back and forth in front of the laptop screen, purposely avoiding looking at it, but his eyes were always inadvertently drawn back to the lower right-hand corner.
Finally, he could stand it no longer. Sliding smoothly back into the chair, he resisted the temptation no longer and clicked on the icon. Dude, what makes you think it was a mistake? You're one of my best friends and I want you to share in my special day. It was so not a mistake, so I hope you say you'll do it. Joel read and re-read the short email over and over again. Someone wanted him to be a part of something special. Henry actually wanted him there, standing beside him, on the happiest day of his life. Joel couldn't believe it. He was always the guy to quietly slip into the back row of these events, not talking to anyone, and quickly leaving before anyone noticed his meek presence. Now he was requested to be standing front and, almost, center. While he felt that Henry's decision was sincere, he still had reservations of his own. Henry, I really appreciate the offer, but I really don't think I'm the right person for this. I'm sure you know tons of other fun people to be a groomsman. I'd be happy to be a guest and to be able to support you on that day, in that fashion. He clicked "Send."
All thoughts of his assignment had fled. He now kept his eyes glued to the corner of his laptop screen. He didn't have to wait long; Henry's response was very prompt. Joel, if you really don't want to be a groomsman in my wedding, I do understand, though I hope you'll rethink your decision. The days I spent with you and Sully, Malcolm, and Danny at college were some of the happiest days of my twenties (thus far). It would mean so much to me if you could do this, but I also understand your disposition. No matter what you decide, I still hope you are able to make it to the wedding. I know Trish would love to see you again. Henry. Joel contemplated his decision again, but he felt that it was no longer a no-brainer. He knew what he had to do. He clicked "Reply."