Friday, April 28, 2006

Chance Encounters



Warning: I think too much. I tell you that now, so maybe it will help as you read through the meanderings of my twisted little mind. I have an unquenchable need to pore over every possibility and come to terms with the truth, or reality, or the reason behind the nonsense that I encounter. That being said, here is a strange anecdote from the recesses of Piksea's brain.

I'm not the kind of person who runs into people they know. That can probably be partially attributed to the fact that I tend to go about in my own little world. For all I know, there could be people all around that I know but that think I'm a total snoot who's ignoring them. But, I doubt it.

There is one person who I've run into a couple of times and it was weird. I'm going to give you way too much background information, but for some reason it feels necessary to me. We met in elementary school. I got switched to a different school when I started 6th grade. It was something about redistributing kids by neighborhood into the schools since our township had just started a puplation and development explosion. It was the first time I walked to school (I only had to cross one street to get there) and I developed a crush on the crossing guard. I'm guessing it was an authority thing, although I haven't had any attraction to power or authority since. I was 10, going on 11, it was really no big deal.

Just after school started my father had to relocate for his job and we were transferred to Minnesota. We moved at the end of February and I don't think any of us really wanted to go. My great grandparents (I still had a few of those), my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, cousins and every friend I ever had lived in Philadelphia or South Jersey. The idea of moving halfway across the country was awful. There's no way a boy could have compared to all that drama in my young life.

Anyway, we moved to Minnesota, but we moved back to the same town just before I started my junior year of high school. I wound up graduating with people I hadn't seen since grade schhol It was sort of weird. Think about how much people change between the ages of 11 and 16. Now imagine what it would be like if you left everyone you knew when you were 11 and then came back at 16. They've all seen each other every day through growth spurts, puberty, developing more mature personalities and interess, or not, as the case may be. When I got back and was re-meeting my old freinds and classmates, it was strange and kind of interesting.

It turned out that the crossing guard guy was coupled up with a girl who was in my girl scout troop. They were a cute couple. I was happy for them. I got a little chuckle out of the memory of my 10 year old self's silly and very short lived crush. My tastes had changed drastically, and so did he, I think. I couldn't imagine what there might have been about him to interest me way back when, because there was nothing appealing to me anymore. I thought the whole thing was beyond history, but I guess some people must assume that those feelings are permanent.

Years after graduation I was out with a friend at a local club and headed for the ladies' room when I spotted a familiar face. Yup, it was crossing guard boy. I stopped, sort of suprised, because I just don't run into people. I said hello and asked how he was and he snapped at me, "I'm seeing somebody!" It was so bizarre, to receive that reaction when acknowledging someone I knew and hadn't seen in years.

The worst part is that , unless you are a total bitch, there's no response to that. I was stunned! I think I just said something like I was happy for him and went to pee and reapply lip balm as was my original plan. This sort of thing really rankles me. I hadn't given this big bloated drunken version of a guy who held no interest for me since I was a little kid any reason to suspect I had any motive in speaking to him. The only reason I gave all the information about the crush 20 years before is because I can think of no other reason he could even begin to believe that I was throwing myself at him.

Of course, he's the only person I've run into multiple times. A couple of years after that I ran into him at a gallery in Old City on a First Friday. I'm not sure how many people I was with that night, but I remember there being a few of us and I was definitely with Sparky. Considering my status as a non-moron, I did not approach him. In fact, one of us just turned around and we found ourselves face to face in some gallery space on 2nd Street before I even noticed him. Once again he reacted to my presence like I was a lovesick stalker. I was miffed the first time, but that's mostly because I've never been the type to approach anyone. I hadn't intentionally approached him that first time, but I guess I was willing to concede that it may have seemed like I had, if you were totally self-absorbed.

The second run in gave me and Sparky and the gang a good laugh. It was beyond ridiculous that this guy should be reacting this way. There certainly was no cause for him to assume I was following him. Two run ins, separated by years, do not a stalker make. I guess it's a good thing that I don't run into people much.

3 comments:

sassymonkey said...

lol. The only person I used to bump into was one of my ex's. Yuck!

Guinness_Girl said...

WEIRD!!! I can't believe he thought you were a stalker.

JoanneMarie Faust said...

I have never bumped into any of my ex boyfriends, Sassymonkey.

Guinness Girl - I'd have had to be a really, really lazy stalker, if I only managed to catch up to him every 5 years or so.