Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Blast from the Past


The world is a small place, some days more so than others. I was playing up on the "perch" at Potbelly today, and was noticing a girl who could've been anywhere between 18 and 25, because I can't really determine much of a difference... Anyway, I noticed her because this older guy (and by older, I mean he was a man...and he HAD to be a lot older than me) came in from eating outside and walked over to her table to ask her something. I think I've lately seen too many shows about older men hitting on way younger "girls"- I was wondering to myself about what he might be asking her, and noticing how calm and cool she seemed to be. Terrible thoughts were running thru my mind.

I was singing and lost in thought staring at her, and probably wearing some stupid look on my face over my quandery. Then one of the managers caught my eye and yelled up to me, "That girl right there was in your 1st and 2nd grade class"- I looked back at the girl I had been staring down and knew who it was immediately.

She coincidentally works next door and came in during her break for a sandwich. She recognized me. Last time she saw me, I was her teacher and she was a 7 year old little kid. One of the first things I asked her was, "How OLD are you?", and since we had to kind of yell to hear eachother, she loudly said "19"- It felt like she screamed it. That's impossible. How could I have possibly been her 1st grade teacher? She must have been a very old 1st grader. She must have gotten a very late start in the public school system.

I happened to comment on how pretty her hair was...really long, really straight- something mine has never been. And then I got the answer to my burning question...The man I had seen talking to her was asking her about being a hair model for him. Hmmm. I need to stop watching t.v.- I'm becoming too cynical of the world and the bastards in it.

It was for me such an odd exchange. I felt like I was just talking to some random adult, and I guess she IS an adult, I just can't seem to wrap my had around how it happened so quickly.

So, she works next door to me. Both of us in a different city than when I was her 1st grade teacher back when I was 10 years old. Small, crazy world.

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