A Familiar Face

The check-out lady at Walmart a few weeks ago gave me the strangest look when I began unloading my groceries onto her conveyor belt. "Back already?" she asked. Um... no. I try to only go into Walmart at most once every 2 weeks. I then must have given her the strangest look ever, because she recovered herself and said, "Oh, sorry. You look just like a customer who just checked out in this line about an hour ago."

This happens to me all the time. I can't tell you how often someone comes up to me and says, "I know you from somewhere." Or "You look familiar to me." Or "You look JUST like someone I knew back in such-and-such place."

But the worst was today.

I went to a yard sale in our neighborhood and was minding my own business looking around, getting ready to leave when this woman looks up at me and says, "Oh, HI! How ARE you?" This was more than the typical stranger greeting, but I had never seen this woman in my life before. She continued, as I stood there trying my hardest to remember if I should know her from somewhere... "And this must be your son!" (pointing to Noah).

I wish I could tell you that I kindly informed this lady that she must have the wrong girl, and that I wasn't who she thought I was.

But I didn't. *groan*

I played along. "I'm doing well!" I said, in as warm a tone I could muster. "Yes, this is my son Noah!" (for the record, Noah didn't know her either, so I don't think it was just me)

And then it got worse. (I knew I should have told her the truth)

Her: "And how is your friend?"

Me: (what friend??) "Just fine!" Not a lie; all my friends are just fine.

Her: "Do you get to see each other often?"

Me: "About as often as we can!" (somebody end this torture!)

Thankfully (thankfully!) about that time Noah started touching something he shouldn't, and I mercifully got to direct my attention to Noah. I told this dear sweet lady that we needed to be going.

"It was SO good to see you again!" she said.

"You too!" I said. (liar!)

This was truly one of the most awkward moments of my life. Lesson learned: next time tell the person I'm not who they think I am.

Got it.