A Book Nerd's Inner Voices

Strange Things

Strange things happen when you reach out to people. Or when they reach out to you. I was contacted not long ago by a man I went to high school with, but hadn't actually spoken to much in years. It was extremely weird and random, but also flattering and if I hadn't been so speechless, I probably would have sounded a lot more eloquent. (Who would have thought I could be rendered speechless? Well done.)





It's one of those things where you don't realize that people actually notice you. Now, I wasn't unpopular...exactly. I went to a small rural school and cliques were heavy there. A lot of the student body (at least in my class) didn't exactly accept you unless you'd been there since kindergarten or beyond. I got there in eighth grade and believe me, there were a few girls who hated that I moved to this town (as did I) and made sure I knew it. My best friend throughout those years had been there her whole life and most people knew me as just her friend or some other variation of the title throughout my high school career. So it is absolutely dumbfounding to find out that might not have actually been the case.





This guy was senior class president. He was a joker and quite frankly, pretty much loved by the whole school. (From my lowly sophomore vantage point, at least. Far be it from me to speak for the entire student body.) I think he'd said "hi" to me a few times and honestly, I was probably as surprised then as I was tonight. All I could think was, "He actually knows who I am!" And he said I was amazing. It's incredible---and a little embarrassing---how one little thing can transport you back a decade in time. I had no idea I had made that much of an impression. Although, the feeling is mutual.





Despite my ill regard for certain aspects of my high school life, I still feel a kinship for the school and my classmates and it has always struck me as wonderful that no matter what, we always support our own. This particular guy went on to be a lawyer and venture into politics. Now, if I had to classify myself as anything political, I would be democrat. He's republican. So while I didn't actually vote for him (sorry!) I couldn't help but be incredibly proud of his daring and success and I secretly hoped he would win every position he ran for. (Do not anybody tell my mother I said that. Republican is probably considered a dirty word to certain members of my family. I swear they stop listening to anything you say after that unless it's bashing the political party. We all have our buttons.)





So, a request of he-who-shall-not-be-named, (please tell me you get the reference): Please explain this random conversation! I can only think on it for so long without having my head explode.