Wow! Talk about a blast from the past!
I was doing 80 on Bancroft while playing Kingdom Rush: Vengeance on my phone (Anurian Plaza Iron Challenge on Impossible difficulty, thank you very much) when I suddenly felt my car shudder like it had just hurdled over an abnormally large speed bump. Needless to say, I pulled over as soon as I could (a minute after I finished the level) and walked back to see what had happened. Imagine my surprise when I saw a bruised and bleeding body on the asphalt – which turned out to be my old friend Kenneth from Willow Glen Middle School!
Kenneth and I were super close in 7th and 8th grade. We ate lunch together, carpooled together, and even went to Chess Club together. We both loved Crush soda and played Club Penguin and poured milk before cereal (we were such heathens back then, lol). After graduation, we promised to stay in touch even though we were both going to different high schools. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and we weren’t able to keep that promise. The last words we ever shared were the ‘HAGS’ that we hastily scribbled into each others’ yearbooks.
It’s so crazy that I’m running into Kenneth like this after all these years! What should I even say to him?
Hey Kenneth! Long time no see!
Kenneth?! From Willow Glen? Fancy meeting you here!
Ugh, this feels so cringe. Maybe a simple ‘sup’ will do. After all, that’s how we always greeted each other back in the day.
“Sup, Kenneth!”
Hmm, he doesn’t seem to be responding. I really hope he doesn’t hold a grudge against me for not reaching out earlier.
Berkeley is such a wild place. One day you’re meeting someone from another country, the next you’re meeting someone from a completely different era in your life. It’s all quite discombobulating, to be honest. Yesterday, I saw my brother’s ex-girlfriend in my EECS 16A class. Thankfully, I was able to walk past her without making eye contact, and we both pretended not to notice each other. Too bad I can’t pretend I didn’t notice Kenneth, considering that I hit him with my car.
Unless… maybe I can? Well, now that I think about it, I really didn’t notice Kenneth when I was driving. Maybe I can just pretend I didn’t see him and walk away? That would certainly feel a lot less embarrassing than this awkward silence!
Kenneth is definitely giving off ‘please-go-away’ vibes. He hasn’t made eye contact with me the entire time I’ve been standing here. In fact, his eyes (and every other part of him) haven’t moved at all for the last several minutes. I get it; it’s really weird to meet someone again after such a long time apart. Guess this is my cue to leave.
Goodbye, Kenneth! I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more, but it really was nice seeing you again.