Hey, you!

For the past few weeks, I have been on a mission to persuade my friend Angela to go to our ten-year high school reunion.  She hasn't budged much, but when I remind her of my tendency to embarrass myself in front of people I recognize but don't really know that well, I can see a twinkle in her eye and a hint of curiosity that just might win her over.

I don't know how to explain what happens to me when I see someone familiar in an unexpected place.  I get giddy and think that if God put both of us in the same place, then surely I should say hi to this person.  Even if it means hopping over bushes in a parking lot (yep, done it) or yelling loudly outside of Starbucks, which is what I did today.

While walking my dog this afternoon, I noticed a girl who looked a lot like a girl I knew in college.  She was the sister of my roommate's boyfriend (now husband).  Poor Layla was pulled along at a breakneck speed until I could get close enough to confirm my suspicions.  Apparently, light does travel faster than sound because although I could see her clearly, she couldn't hear me the first time I called her name...in a crowd of Starbucks patio loungers who must have had better hearing than she did because they sure did turn to look.  When you're in a situation like that, you have two options.  You can give up, wave your hand in the air like you just don't care, and move on.  Or you can keep yelling the person's name until she acknowledges you.  Guess which one I chose.

I yelled the girl's name again.  No answer.  I yelled her name a third time, this time cupping my hand around my mouth and really belting from the diaphragm.  That one did it.  She finally turned to look at me, said a very generic (and maybe even frightened), "Hey, how are you?" and proceeded to walk into the coffee shop, where she stood behind the glass and waved cautiously at me.  It's probably a good thing Layla was with me, because otherwise, I probably would have followed her in and initiated one of those weird three-exchange conversations that you have with people you haven't seen in years.

Hey, so good to see you!
You too!
So you live here now?
Yeah.
Me too.
Cool.
Yeah.
Well, see ya around I guess.
Yeah, see ya.

Yeah, good thing I stopped just short of embarrassing myself.

P.S. If you want to hear the full "hopping over bush" story, I would be happy to share.  It's one of my favorites, and it is quickly followed by the "definition of the bar exam" story, which happened on the same night.