So I am walking home from the subway tonight, close to midnight. This is certainly not an unsafe time to be walking in my neigbhorhood, but I still assume my usual "walk with determination" stance. As I pass one of my favorite local bars, I guy calls out to me. A dramatizationf follows:
Boy on the street (BOTS): Didn't we go to high school together?
Me: No (plus a determined step forward)
BOTS: Raritan? (my high school)
Me: (astonished look, followed by searching of the BOTS face for familiarity) Nothing.
Its true. He gives a name, and those of his "boys" and I vaguely remember. This is only 8 years ago, mind you, and I went to school with many of my high school classmates since elementary school. I just don't remember people. Well, that's not entirely true. I seem to have a special way to black out the names or faces of people from my hometown. Sure we all would like to forget high school, but I think I have somewhat of an extreme case of academic amnesia considering I pretty much made it out unscathed and still talk to many of my friends from that time.
Will I remember my classmates from now on? Probably not. But I have learned an imporant lesson. Out of the many guys who yell out to me and my fellow females on the street everyday, there are still some out there who are not just trying to pick me up (at best) or harass me (at, less than best). And, "didn't we go to high school together?" is not really a good line anyway.
Who knows, maybe tomorrow the guy who asks me for my "smile" will just be my childhood dentist. Dr. Silver, are you out there?
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