When You Can't Remember Someone's Name

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If you're like me, you were born with a terrible ability to remember people's names and faces. I cannot remember more than half the people I went to high school with. I hate the fact that I have so much trouble remembering names and faces because it almost always lands me in embarrassing situations. Over the summer, I was approached by two people who had known me six months earlier while I was undergoing electroconvulsive therapy. One of them caught me in the elevator and was like, "Oh my gosh, heyyy!" in a very ecstatic tone. I had no idea who this person was, but I didn't want them to know that I couldn't remember them since they seemed so happy to see me. So I faked it. "Hey," I said. "Do you remember me?" the girl asked. "Yeah! Of course I do!" I lied. I proceeded to ask how the person was...praying for the elevator to reach my floor as soon as possible. "I finally graduated high school," she said. "Oh, really?" I said. Then I mentally slapped myself. "Oh, really?" Did I have to say "Oh, really?" It almost sounded like I was surprised she actually graduated from high school. Well, I WAS surprised she just graduated from high school, not because I thought she was incapable, but because I didn't know who she was and I generally don't know anyone who is that young. I was literally sweating and the girl could easily tell that I wasn't in a talkative mood. When the elevator stopped on my floor, I hurried out and approached the receptionist's desk. Of course the girl followed behind me and sat down on one of the office chairs. Thankfully, the office was very large, so I pretended not to see her and sat down somewhere that wasn't visible to the girl. I realized after I did so, that I would have probably looked less impudent if I had just explained to the girl that I didn't remember her to begin with. The only reason I had decided to lie that I knew the girl was because I knew that I would be slightly offended if I approached someone I thought was really awesome and they didn't remember me the slightest bit. It would help confirm my core belief that I am an unlikable, unmemorable person. Then I realized, I really shouldn't take offense to something like that. I'm being too critical of others and I should just give people a break. I should especially give myself a break. People forget names and faces. We're only human and can only recall so much in our busy lives, some a little less than others. So the next time someone approaches you and you're not sure of their name, don't avoid the situation, just be honest. Are you an expert at remembering names or are you terrible like I am? If you cannot remember someone's name, what do you normally do?