Does Debbie

Saturday, July 09, 2005

The One You Can Never Remember

Everyone has that person- you know, the one that you have met on multiple occasions, yet can never recognize when you see them in public. I'm not sure why this happens. Do our minds unconsciously push this "acquaintance" to the back of the memory bank? Did the person whisper hate words subliminally? Are they just too ugly looking to recall?

My Ms. I-Think-I-Know-You-But-Am-Not-Sure is my sister's old boss, Tessy. I have met Tessy on multiple occasions, both in and out of my sister's office. Yet each time I see her, I have to run through a list of distinctive features and qualities that would convince me it is her. This has not always gone so smoothly. There have been the occasion where I flat out don't recognize Tessy and then am handed a label via my sister, such as "bitch" for not saying hello.
Mind you, the "slight" weight gain didn't help. There are also the occasions where I cautiously say her name out loud, to see if she turns around. If she does, great. If not, I pretend I am calling someone in the distance. Works every time. And then there are the times where I know it's her, I say hello, and the only thing I want to talk is about is how proud I am of myself for recognizing her. (of course I don't do this.)

What makes my relationship (word used very loosely) with Tessy interesting is that our run-ins are rarely in the expected place: the block that we both live in. Rather, it is as if God has given me a life-size Where's Waldo book, and each place I go, I should look for Tessy. Of recent, it has been public transportation and the New York Piers. I'm pretty sure a sporting event was thrown in there as well.

The kicker of the whole thing: Tessy has never once initiated saying hello to me.

I think the lesson out of this: If you don't recognize someone, fuck it. It's a two-way street.

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