What's in a Name
When he got to me, I extended my hand and said the customary "Nice to meet you, Mr. President."
I added, "My name is Jason, but my nickname is 'Hugs'."
He FROZE.
It was only for a moment, but felt like a minute. "Oh no," I thought to myself. What have I done?
Then he smiled, and said, "Come on, you get a hug!"
Everyone else was like "Wait, you got a hug!?"
Later, someone came up with a theory on why he froze: The president was just glad my nickname wasn't "French kiss".
Epilogue
I've told this story a few times, and I now realize I have to clarify something: He hugged me. I went in for the handshake, but he escalated. No begging for a hug here!
Ironically, I’m more of a fist bump guy. But he'll never know.