"Who Was That?"
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
September 21, 2012 7:29am CST
Has this ever happened to you? Someone waves at you in the street. You turn round as you think he/she MUST be waving at someone else..but no.
The person comes up to you, smiling, obviously pleased to see you. All you can do is put that false smile on, the whole time wondering who the hell this person is.
Then the person starts talking..for what seems an age. They tell you all about what they've been doing for the last 5 years..why they haven't been in touch, blah-de-blah.
Still you have no idea.
Then they start asking about YOU. They know all about you (somehow). They ask how your kids are (giving correct names). They ask how your mother is, your dog even.
Then, finally (after what seems like an eternity) they walk away, still smiling as they're so pleased to bump into you after all this time.
"Keep in touch!" you hear faintly, hand aloft - realising it would be highly embarrassing to suddenly run after them to ask what their number may be. They might be offended!
You spend the next few minutes arguing with your partner as to who you BOTH think the person might be.
"I think it's ------."
"Well, I think it was -----, he looked just like him!"
For the rest of that day you ponder on who this person was, why they knew such a lot about you and why you can't remember!
The above doesn't happen to me very often (mainly because all my friends are on MyLot) but my Dad has lost count of the times a person comes up to him in the Club, speaks to him for ages, then he says to his friends afterwards..
"I've no idea who that person was. Do you?"
"Nope!" they all say in unison.
Then they start asking about YOU. They know all about you (somehow). They ask how your kids are (giving correct names). They ask how your mother is, your dog even.
Then, finally (after what seems like an eternity) they walk away, still smiling as they're so pleased to bump into you after all this time.
"Keep in touch!" you hear faintly, hand aloft - realising it would be highly embarrassing to suddenly run after them to ask what their number may be. They might be offended!
You spend the next few minutes arguing with your partner as to who you BOTH think the person might be.
"I think it's ------."
"Well, I think it was -----, he looked just like him!"
For the rest of that day you ponder on who this person was, why they knew such a lot about you and why you can't remember!
The above doesn't happen to me very often (mainly because all my friends are on MyLot) but my Dad has lost count of the times a person comes up to him in the Club, speaks to him for ages, then he says to his friends afterwards..
"I've no idea who that person was. Do you?"
"Nope!" they all say in unison.2 people like this
13 responses
@schulzie (4061)
• United States
24 Sep 12
That happens to us every once in a while, but it happens to my husband way more frequently than it happens to me! I have a really good memory so it's kind of hard for me to forget people. I think I am one of the people who actually remember people and approach them (and remember their kids' names, etc.)! It's kind of funny watching their faces as I reallize they don't know who I am, etc.!
Have a great day and happy myLotting!!!
Have a great day and happy myLotting!!!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
24 Sep 12
Haha! It's nice to hear from someone 'on the other side' so to speak. Aah, right so you have a very good memory..well, that explains it lol.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
23 Sep 12
On Friday I took my disabled son to the hospital for an appointment. We caught a train to Bristol and luckily saw the wheelchair accessible hospital bus. Wow! I had thought as usually it isn't accessible for wheelchairs. We got on it and at the next stop a limping man got on the bus. He said hello and it was lovely to see us again. I couldn't remember his name. He said that he was also off to a hospital appointment. I tried very hard to know who he was. Then I remembered he was one of the adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus that I saw in a group at the sports center months ago. The group is called Shine and my disabled son is a child member of it.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
24 Sep 12
Did you remember at the time he was talking to you or afterwards? It's nice that you did remember though; so infuriating when we don't.
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
21 Sep 12
... It has happened to me a few times, yes... No those guys did not talk about me or my personal life... They could somehow manage to know I did not recognize 'em... And then, they'd re-introduce themselves... Then it'd flash in my memory all of a sudden... And 'insatant memory retrieval'.. I know everything about that bloke...
If this is some syndrome then I got this before a few years, after my first girl ditched me. I was insane or crazy for months.. Now, life's regular, memory wise.. LoL... Yet, I'll still have problems with the people whom I met in those 'troubled' days... @Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Sep 12
Haha! Nice to know this is a world-wide phenomenon my friend!
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
22 Sep 12
Oh yes, it happens to everyone of us.. It happens when we see a person at a totally unexpected place.... For example, if I see a cousin of mine at a pub or multiplex, I won't be able to recognize them. Because I know the traditional folks that they're, and they'll never enjoy partying etc.... LOL
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
25 Sep 12
Not the same exact scenario, but a little bit similar. Except that I didn't have anyone to argue with.
I was once standing at a bus stop at the airport waiting for a ride to get to where I parked when a taxi comes passing by, and a girl inside shouts my name and waves at me. For the life of me I couldn't recognize her. But that didn't stop me from waving back.
It kept me distracted for the next few days trying to figure out who that was. I went investigating through facebook and just decided on a high school classmate. I figured she lived in the city and she could look like her give or take a few years.
@goldenteardrops (747)
• United States
22 Sep 12
yes I have had it happen a few times, sometimes I find they mistaken me as a look alike of someone else. But yet a few times I try to figure out who was that? some had been friends from school that you think well now they talk to me and then they did not? LoL.. ANYWAY ..I have waved at a few not knowing who they are because they waved first I guess as a response , still do not know who they where?? I even had to ask a few when they talked I am sorry but you are who? Then a few I knew or had to look up where?? I think this happens to alot of people. I think this would be a great thing if who did the talking would first say hey I am so and so from so and so remember me? LoL..then yet still some may say I wonder???
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
22 Sep 12
What a great suggestion..the person saying, "I'm so and so from so and so remember me?" lol. Mind you, not even that helps sometimes depending on the state of our memories!
@changjiangzhibin89 (16764)
• China
22 Sep 12
Perhaps the guy mistook you for someone or your memory failed you at that moment .However if it was the former,it should dawn upon him that he got wrong in the process of talking with you,or else the guy wasn't all there.Such a thing once happened to me.For someone that I knew only to say hello to at normal times,and then we had seen nothing of each other for quite some time.One day he greeted me with a nod from nowhere in some place.I tried to remember his name,but my mind was a complete blank.You can imagine how awkward I felt then.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
21 Sep 12
i remember getting off the bus once in the city where i live and seeing this guy and knowing that i knew him from somewhere and quite obviously, he had the same feeling as we ended up staring at each other for a good number of minutes but neither one of us said anything to the other and i honestly have no idea who it could have been.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Sep 12
That's the best way...to ask. It's weird how many of us don't though..my Dad especially!
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
24 Sep 12
I wish someone like George Clooney would mistake me for someone else..that'd be good lol.
@marguicha (223021)
• Chile
22 Sep 12
It happened to me a little over a year ago. I was at the super with my mother when this nice good looking young man came to me with his arms open to mebrace me and calling my name. I had no idea who he was and started the search in my hard disk (every day less reliable). He saw that I didn´t remember him so he said his name (no), his nickname (no), his last name no). In desperation, he said "I´m Dolly´s son!" Why didn´t he say that in the first place, I thought. I had even given him lesson to enter the university. But that was over 10 years ago. The skinny teen was now a doctor and had put on some weight. I had stopped seeing them for those things that happen in life (they moved). I gave him my phone number for her mother and I had barely reached my house when Dolly called me. We spoke for over 5 hours, she came the next day and that was the beginning of this last chapter. She was the friend that went with my to St. Maarten this last vacations.
). He saw that I didn´t remember him so he said his name (no), his nickname (no), his last name no). In desperation, he said "I´m Dolly´s son!" Why didn´t he say that in the first place, I thought. I had even given him lesson to enter the university. But that was over 10 years ago. The skinny teen was now a doctor and had put on some weight. I had stopped seeing them for those things that happen in life (they moved). I gave him my phone number for her mother and I had barely reached my house when Dolly called me. We spoke for over 5 hours, she came the next day and that was the beginning of this last chapter. She was the friend that went with my to St. Maarten this last vacations.@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
22 Sep 12
What an amazing story, I love it! Looks like it was meant to be, bumping into someone you didn't know straight away. Awww!
@watchamacallitz (1171)
• Philippines
5 Oct 12
haha :D this has happened to me a lot of times! and sad to say, i cant really remember them as I am bad with names. But sometimes, i ask them "uhm, where did we meet again?": or "im sorry, what's your name?" lol .. and they do understand and give their names anyway!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
5 Oct 12
The worst part is..if someone gives their name and you STILL don't know who they are!
Haha!
@STOUTjodee (3573)
• United States
22 Sep 12
Yes, I've had people do that to me too, except not quiet excessively like you mentioned though. I wonder all day, where or how do I know this person? But at the time I'm friendly and ask questions in general back to them, so hopefully they won't know that I don't know them! I've actually done that before to someone myself, but that person wasn't who I thought he was though. We became friends though.
I've actually done that before to someone myself, but that person wasn't who I thought he was though. We became friends though.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Sep 12
It's horrendous when we don't recognise people. Believe me, it gets worse when you're older!
