12.24.06
Does the name ‘Pavlov’ ring a bell?
Walking down the central square of my college one day I saw a guy I did know but recognized. I did not know who he was, did not know his name nor where I knew him from. This was not unusual, the part of my brain that is supposed to remember names and faces has never quite worked quite right, but the odd thing is that whoever he was I knew I really liked him. Liked him… a lot.
I did not think about it until a few days later I ran across the guy in the school Library. Once again there was no name or association but once again I felt that warm appreciation, the sensation that this was a good person. Someone I liked. Someone I admired. Someone I was happy to see and wanted to see again. A bit disturbed by the lack of supporting information I started to systematically rack my mind for some identity… some relation or association. Workmate? No, I had trained most of the people at the school’s computer lab and made an effort to remember their names and faces, with limited success granted but that was unlikely. Past roommate? No, as bad as my memory was with some effort I could recall the names of people I had lived with. Classmate? Possible, but why would I be so fond of the fellow?
A couple of days later I saw him again and the mystery was resolved. At the cafeteria he asked me, as he had for the better part of the year, what I would like on my burrito. Chicken, cheese and extra salsa. Thank you… From the bottom of my empty stomach, thank you.