Hi Friends. Or whoever reads this blog. I will share yet another embarrassing story of myself.
This happened a few months ago.
Cue me standing in line by the vending machines in the JKB (I promise I don't do this often, even though all of my great stories originate from that spot).
I am in the midst of making a major decision (twix or snickers?) when I see this boy who looks vaguely familiar. Vaguely being the operative word. I had seen him a few times in passing on campus recently and I wasn't sure if I actually knew him, or if I knew him because I had seen him around frequently and that was the extent of our acquaintance.
But the thousands of calories looming behind the glass apparently embolden/dumb-en me every time I’m around them, because the next thing I hear is myself asking him, "Do I know you? I think I know you, but I don't know how?..."
And he just looks at me like I'm trying to use the "pre-existence" pickup line (and silently asking me if I think I'm being original) with a very confused look in his face as he attempts to humor my lack of brain-mouth connection. Being the gentleman that he is, he starts with the basics of the how-in-the-world-does –this-crazy-girl-think-she-knows-me?
"Well, do you live in Alta?"
"Nope." came my clever reply.
… “Uh, do you know anyone who lives there? Maybe I’ve seen you around?”
“Mnnnn…. No. I don’t know anyone who lives there. …. Have you lived in Campus Plaza?” as I stunningly attempted to further this conversation that was going nowhere and fast.
He graciously replied that he in fact, had not. Well, I thought - there went my biggest shot at figuring out how I knew him, if I really did know him. (Campus Plaza is normally the answer for placing how I know people.)
I didn’t even bother asking him what his major was, because, let’s face it – if he was in one of my classes, I would know. That would be like a guy engineer not recognizing the only girl in his major.
A few more questions were pared back and forth, and I’m about to call it a lost cause and embarrassingly go on my way, when suddenly, like a random flash of lightning 2 hours after the storm ended, I blurted out, “ wait a second, do you know Jake Venesky?” And he looks at me, and replies that he does. And as soon as I hear his response, it all started flooding back to me – messy, jumbled, and not that clear. I went on a date with this boy. … It was a blind date… It was a double with Jake and his fiancé. ……… I had dinner sitting next to him and played games with him for over 3 hours. …….. And I didn’t remember him. (Well, technically I did, just not before it was embarrassingly late and ruining my chance at playing this off as a successful, non-awkward social encounter.)
And of course, because I was still next to the thousands of calories behind the glass wall that somehow control my brain activity, I blurted out, “Oh, that’s how I know you! I went on a date with you!” (I really should work on that whole “think before you speak” trait – it sure would come in handy every time I talk to someone with X and Y chromosomes.)
He looked at me for a second, and then surprise and recognition slowly dawned on his face. “Oh yeah, I remember now…” he replied to my out-burst. I don’t know if he actually remembered, but he was smart enough to latch-on to whatever flotation device he could to get a hold of to get out of this messed-up conversation and act like he remembered me too.
I’m not exactly sure how we recovered the conversation from that point, but we left on amicable, if not slightly-awkward terms.
As I was walking away, I remember how he was my first (and only, thus far) date to help me put on my coat as we were leaving dinner, and I was so surprised and unused to it that I almost punched him in the face putting my arm in my sleeve while he held it.
When I told a stranger this story, she said, “Well, at least he didn’t seem to remember you either.” And I thought, well, that may be true….
But at least I didn’t ask him if he was married to my friend.
(see here if you're confused.)
