It started out as one of those occasional catches of the eye. The kind where you make eye contact and some sense of familiarity is sparked, but usually as just a reminder of someone you knew in the past, nothing absolute. It’s meant to end there. Except in rare cases in which the opposing party decides to say “hey stranger” and move in for the kill.
At the time, I had no idea where I knew her from, and I was more than happy to keep it that way. After all, I wasn’t the one who went rushing up to hug me. I knew enough to know that if I only barely recognized the face, there was little point in trying to figure out where we knew each other from, much less try to catch up on the six or eight years it’s been since we’d last seen each other. My thought: if I don’t remember you well, I probably never knew you well.
Relief swept over me when her name was called to go into the clinic. Only she clawed viciously against the poor nurse and shouted her phone number to me and told me to call her. “I can’t hear you” was what I said as the door closed, and peace resumed in my little world once again.
Five minutes passed. A door opened and a nurse approached me. She handed me a piece of paper, upon which was scrawled a name and a phone number. Meghann.
As the day has drawn onward, the events have replayed themselves in my head. Images of high school have flashed before my eyes. Remembering events and faces I’d long ago put behind me, perfectly content to let them lie. And with all these memories, the face from the doctor’s office returns. Ah yes, I remember her well. Walking along the hallways before math class, and hearing her blather on about stories about her ROTC buddies and her girlfriends.
So much of my life has changed since those days, and suddenly I’m reminded of just how little I miss that time in my life. The phone number will remain on that paper, in all likelihood never to be dialed. So good to see you, but our brief contact will suffice. I’m very happy to let chance dictate our next encounter, rather than voluntarily make that happen. Until next time…
4 Responses to “On being formerly acquainted strangers.”
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I concur. I miss nothing and no one from high school and pretend to not notice when someone tries to make contact.
On another note, I know that you worked hard on that custom theme, but somehow this feels all comfy and homy like “classic Phil”.
To this day, none of my closest friends are people from high school. Rather, they’re people from college or other outside areas I’ve managed to meet people. And that’s exactly how I like it.
Also, the design was not custom, by any means. I had found a newer, more functional theme, and just tweaked it like crazy. I like this theme, but I need a bit more elbow room. That, and a change of scenery. All in good time, I suppose.
What you talkin’ bout BITCH! I’m your closest and only friend!
This hasn’t happened to me, but I’m hoping that it doesn’t because, while it’s nice for someone to recognize you and want to catch up, it could turn into a really awkward thing.
Like you, I’ve put high school behind me. And I have a few friends from it who I still keep in touch with, but not many at all. And there’s a reason for that.
Thanks for sharing!