It's A Small World, And I'm A Big Jerk

This was one of those moments that were so unfathomable, that on the one hand is just a great "Magnolia" moment but at the same time you wish the ground would swallow you up.

I was heading to the train station on the way home just now in Causeway Bay, dodging in and out of the hoardes of Chinese people, when I felt a prod on my arm. This was not unusual - people bumping into you, or trying to sell something - but a girl on the other end of that prod stopped and stared at me.

In that moment, I did not recognise the pretty Chinese girl at all, and tried to think where I might know her. Warwick University if anywhere, but nothing was flooding back. Maybe if I said about Uni first, I might be able to bluff her that

Girl: Hey, did you go to Warwick University?
Phil: Yeah.
Girl: I thought so; I saw you walk past here the other morning and thought I was going crazy. You were a student representative, right? I'm Priscilla.

I had absolutely no idea who she was and it was too obvious at this point to pretend. And then I asked the question that I regretted asking before I even started:

Phil: What year were you in?
Priscilla: The same as you.

Awkward silence follows.

Phil: How are you!? What are you doing out here?
Priscilla: I live here, this is where I'm from. Are you working here?
Phil: Yeah, recruitment. So are there many people from Warwick?
Priscilla: Actually, there's quite a few of us and we have reunions every month. The next one's next Thursday; you should come.
Phil: Great, I'd love to.

She fumbles around for a pen to give me her number.

Phil: By the way, my name's Phil.

I thought maybe I could even the embarassment a bit if she didn't know

Priscilla: Yeah, I know.

We said our goodbyes.

---

I felt like the world's biggest jerk for not knowing her. To my defense there were 108 girls in my class, and only 12 boys. Also, even if I did know her, it would be much easier for her to pick me out in a crowd in Hong Kong than vice versa.

I don't know what response she was expecting, but a blank face probably wasn't it. I only wonder who would be at this reunion - expats or locals? I'll definitely go, it'll be quite good to build up a social network here. But I really don't remember her, and not even her face. At all.

Strange how a small link in our past will draw us together, yet she is near enough a stranger to me.

So my next moves are damage control, work out who will be there (consult Fi and Rae, who might know) and go and meet up with everyone.

I thought it was a story worth telling.