You Look Familiar

July 26, 2004

I've been lying low back home in Brooklyn, trying not to spend any money, but I got restless last night and went to the local for a drink. There were two drunk girls there. I sat down a few seats away from them at the stool nearest the exit. They caught my eye a few times and smiled. I smiled back. They whispered to each other before introducing themselves. "Why are you being the quiet guy in the corner?" asked the big blond one. I shrugged the way quiet guys do. "You look familiar," she said. "Where have I seen you before?"

"I don’t know," I said. "I've been around."

"Where are you from?" I gestured over my shoulder and said, "Right around the corner."

"No," she said. "Where are you from? As in, where did you grow up?"

"New Jersey. How about you?"

"Seattle."

"I've been to Seattle a couple of times. Maybe you saw me on the street out there." I was just being silly, because seriously, the reason I looked familiar to this girl was because I'd seen her in that very same bar before. And she was with her same friend -- the redhead with the Vidal Sassoon haircut. "You know," I finally said, "I've seen you here before. And not only that, but you introduced yourselves. And you even asked me to join you two for a drink. It was only about a month ago."

"And did you?" asked the redhead.

"Did I what?"

"Join us."

"No."