“Expectations are a filter. And we see the world through it.” – He talked as if he had been thinking about the topic for some time, and he had. “It shapes the way we perceive how good or bad something is, regardless of how we would think of it without them.”

“But, that’s not exactly news, is it?” said Martin, sitting to his right, behind his pair of glasses and a heavy looking jacket.

“Not news, no” the first man, Arthur, answered, “but it’s important not to lose sight of them, or we can just be affected by them before we even realize it”

“And, How does one go about avoiding expectations?” asked Martin.

“Well” he said, “you take them, squash them and throw them out the window. You don’t need them, they’re just there to make you blindly go about your life with a false idea that might not even be yours, and the moment something unexpected happens, you don’t know what to think or do.”

“Mmhmm” muttered, Claire, sitting across from him, “and, How exactly do you plan to get rid of expectations?” – She asked half jokingly.

“Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it?” he said, as she raised an eyebrow and moved her shoulder as if thinking if you say so, “I suppose you can’t really avoid them, but you should be able to work around them, recognize when they’re there, at least. A new movie, for instance, you hear all about how good it looks even from the teasers before the trailer even comes out, then people who watch it tells you all about how good it looks, or how bad. What can you do in those cases? How do you manage your own expectations?”

“I’m usually let down by many movies, so I guess I just don’t” she said. Getting her short black hair out of the black jacket she had just put on.

“Yeah, it is  difficult but it should be… It is possible” he said, “you just have to take as much or as little as necessary. Don’t take emotions, they’re not helpful, they’re too personal, subjective. Take the facts, the comments on the actual subject, and not how someone might feel about them.”

“That sound’s like taking a cold shower.” said Alex sitting to his left, who had until then been quiet throughout the conversation. “Taking out all the emotions from everything, don’t you think?”

“Well, in some way, I suppose.” he said back, “But you don’t have to take away everything, not everything helps you, just enough. And not from everything. I just think sometimes it’s better not to have expectations about some things and just enjoy them for what they are. Take more from it because it’s a new experience for you, and not because someone told you how to feel about it.”

“Well, I think I can see what you mean” said Martin. “Just making sure, you know?” he said before taking his jacket from the back of the chair. Then he stood up while trying to put it on.

“Yeah, I guess.” he said with a grin before laughing. “It can sound a bit cold I suppose, but I do believe you can get more enjoyment from things this way.”

“I think so too, yeah.” said Claire, standing up”It makes sense after a few drinks”

“You drank nothing but a lemonade” said Alex.

“I mean it will make sense after” She said with a smile.

The four friends then walked out of the diner and to the cool winter night.