I honestly hadn't run into this guy in over five years. But even when I did see him back in high school, I had never talked with him or anything. I always knew him as that guy who dated that -- and let's just throw out widely-used adjectives for the girl -- stupid, slutty freshman back when I, too, was a freshman in high school.
"Have my babies!" she would yell from over fifty feet away so that everyone could hear her. Man, did she enjoy the attention.
In any case, my brother and I are throwing around a Frisbee when I see him approaching in the distance. Initially, I think it might be a creeper wanting to join in on the game because he doesn't say or yell anything as he approaches. As he gets nearer, I then assume he is one of my brother's high school friends. I am only partly correct. He greets my brother, handshake and all. Then, as if it were some sort of an epiphany, it hits me and I realize that I, too, know this guy.
"Do you remember me?"
"Um. No." He guesses a few names, but they're all way off.
"Dave. I was in band with you."
"What instrument did you play?"
"Horn. I was a year younger."
"Sorry, I don't remember. I guess I'm just getting so old."
"No, I just never really talked to you."
He explains that he had stopped his run prematurely to see who was throwing around the Frisbee. He takes off the weights he had on and sets them down on the grass. My brother had told me previously that this guy was some sort of an alumni coach at my alma mater. Ultimate Frisbee, he coaches Ultimate Frisbee and is friends with all of my brother's friends. I always find it strange being friends with people that much younger than me. It may only be three or four academic years, but trust me when I say that there is a huge difference.
Though I knew full well that he had stopped going to a four-year university, I ask him what he was up to these days and where he was in school.
"Oh, I'm at NCTC right now."
"That's not a bad thing."
"Ya, I know. But when I think about how I should be graduating, it is."
"That's actually why I had asked you. I didn't know if you were graduating."
"What about you?"
"I just finished my third year at UT."
"You remember Ross and Kyle and them?"
"Ya, I remember."
"They're probably graduating right now. But I don't keep up with them anymore."
"Oh, why? Remember, Lisa? I think she's graduating, too. I don't know. I don't really keep up with anyone either. "
"I don't like keeping up with them because I feel like I'm so behind."
...
"I think I'm going to blog about him."
"Wait, you are? You're not going to say anything bad about him are you?"
"No."
He taught me a couple new Frisbee moves that I can now add to my repertoire.
"I probably sound like a nerd right now."
"Ya, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Upon arriving at home, I checked out his Facebook. He isn't friends with any of those people.
"He doesn't like them anymore."
Fascinating.
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