Average Jane Needs Context

I used to have trouble recognizing casual acquaintances away from the context in which I usually saw them. 

For example, when I was still in college I went to a restaurant with the band I was in at the time.  A guy came up to me to say "hi," and I knew he was someone I knew.  I wracked my brain for the rest of the meal, wondering who he could be.  The mystery was solved on Monday:  he sat next to me in one of my classes three days a week. 

Then there was the time I was selling t-shirts for a boyfriend’s band when a girl came up and asked, "Are you [Average Jane’s Real Name] and did you go to Alpha Preschool?"

I wanted to say, "Yes, but you’re a complete freak for remembering someone from preschool."

Seriously, who looks at a spandex-clad nineteen-year-old with huge, blonde ’80s hair and recognizes her as the shy, straight-haired preschooler who favored granny dresses?  She actually seemed to expect me to remember her, too.  Uh, no.

My out-of-context recognition was put to the test at the video store the other day.  There was a younger couple in front of us and the wife turned around and said, "Hey, funny running into you guys here!"

"I know!" I said, trying desperately to think of who they were.

My mind raced.  My husband showed no signs of recognition at all, so they couldn’t be his friends, band members or co-workers.  I didn’t think either one of them looked familiar from my new job, even though there are an awful lot of people there.  I seized on the most logical explanation and was ready when they reached the counter and my husband gave me a quizzical look.

"They’re our next door neighbors," I told him, under my breath.

We really need to get more involved in our neighborhood, but that’s another story.