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So, back in high school, I was friends with this kid...even by the standards of my circle of Christian geek friends, he seemed to be more emotionally stunted than the rest of us...but otherwise, able to function within our group. But as folks graduated and went to college, we all lost touch. I did not give the kid much thought... until literally 15 years later he walked into the video store I was working at part time.
I wish I could say it was some sort of grand reunion... but honestly? It was, at best, not a great time on my end. He wandered around the store with me for near three hours...not reminiscing or catching up on fifteen years...but discussing the Transformers convention he went to (mainly). Now, listen, i can discuss movies and comics and so on... but when I discuss them with friends we are discussing plot problems we had, character issues, etc. He started talking about Phantom Menace (mind you, this was almost six years or so after it was released). And like I said, i can discuss all sorts of issues with it. His loan problem? Darth Maul. He did not like Darth Maul. Why? He kind of looked like Satan. I suggested that this may have been intentional (although, in retrospect, I may have been giving Lucas to much credit at the time). It just kind of perplexed him. And hey, I am sorry, I have seen the Transformerss movies and I vaguely recall the cartoon...but I cannot discuss anything between the animated movie (pretty much the last Transformers related part of my childhood) and the rather unimpressive Michael Bay films. I mean, I am interested in going to Comic Con because it is a huge media event...but a Transformers convention is not my thing.
But what really stood out to me was his personality. It had not changed one tiny bit. It was actually a little depressing. He had no new insights or unique thoughts regarding the stuff he was talking about-it was like I had accidentally stepped into a time machine. He was the exact same guy-no growth, no new discovery... it was like he was stuck in 17-20.
And once he knew I worked at the video store, he would show up and spend hours talking to me as I was trying to work. It got to be so bad that my boss would have me hide in the back room if she saw him walking up. Yes, having me not work was *less* interference than trying to work with him following me around. He only was coming in at the times I worked, and we realized after I was not there-he pretty much stopped coming around.
A couple of years later, he contacted my sister on Facebook...see, I use the Thomwade identity online specifically for this type of reason. Yeah, it makes it harder for people I would want to connect with harder to find me... but somehow, he has yet to locate me. My sister did not erspond, because the guy creeps her out. He always has. And we did not hear anything more. We found out that he has asked other people we have in common for my contact info-or if they knew where I was working. And a couple months ago, as I was driving out of the parking lot of my part time job? I saw him walking out of the store. But I have never run ino him while working.
Then, the other day? My mom gets a message from him on Facebook. My mom is creeped out by the guy, but she felt like she was being mean by ignoring his message. My dad and sister and I have pointed out that she agrees with us that I am not obligated to hang out with him, and I have the right to not want to reconnect with him... so for now she is ignoring the message.
But I fear it is going to get to a point where I am going to have to tell the guy I have no interest in erstarting the friendship. Which I admit I would like to avoid...I don't like hurting someownes feelings in such a way...but geez... it almost feels like I have a stalker.
Thom
http://thomwade.wordpress.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/Thomwade
http://www.in-one-ear.com
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"I have seen the future brother: It is murder."~Leonard Cohen
"We live as though the world were as it should be. To show it what it can be."~Angel, Deep Down
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