Careless Memory

Waiting for the B train at Rockefeller Center the other night, I happened to look up and met a pair of eyes walking down the steps.

The guy looked vaguely familiar but for the life of me I couldn't remember why I knew who he was. He seemed to recognize me too, and instead of listening to my usual advice of "if you see someone you think you know but you're not sure who they are or if you don't know them all that well or if you don't feel like getting stuck in some weird awkward conversation, look away."

Too late, we made the eye contact, smiled, and he was moving toward me.

I then had to rack my brain. Who the fuck was this dude? Did we used to work together? Do we work together now but I just don't know who he is? Did I spend some wild night a couple years ago sitting on his cock reverse cowgirl style while yelling out "Wahoo?" I wasn't sure, but it was too late in the game to figure it out.

We started chatting and it was clear to me that he didn't really remember how he knew me either, and of course, neither of us even attempted to utter the others' name.

"Yea yea, things are good," I offered, when he asked how I was doing. He then stuttered out a question that I think was "Where are you working now?"

Finally, it clicked. We used to work together. We never really knew each other, except to say hi in the hallway. Which is why I couldn't remember his name. I probably never even knew it. The thing that struck me as awfully funny/scary is that, he had gone partly grey. Which sucks, cuz I think he's younger than me. Jesus Christ my peers are starting to get grey hair...so not cool!

At any rate, I just love that I spent the better part of a conversation having absolutely no recollection of this person other than the familiar sight of his face.

I've decided that I've met so many people in my life, that my brain just doesn't have the capacity to remember them all. And I'll leave it at that.