The Face of Time

As you have already realized from my previous posts, I never knew who or what was going to come walking, crawling, flying, riding, or creeping into my lobby at 85th and Aurora Avenue. It was like Mardi Gras, the 4th of July, New Years, and Lead Creek Derby all rolled up into one. Actually, it was more like Cuckoo's Nest. When someone came in you didn't know if it was to check in, or if you were going to meet your Maker that day.

So, when someone walked in, started looking you up and down, and then started smiling at you, you began to wonder just what was going to happen next. But, the most feared words that you could hear were,"I know you." Why were these words so frightening? Well, Aurora had a plethora of the strangest people on the face of the earth, and if they knew you, something was really wrong. One of the times turned out to be a nice reunion, the other, well, it was strange to say the least.I will post about the strange another day.

The man who walked through the door had a beard, scraggly blond hair, and was acting pleasantly enough. He smiled at me and inquired about room rates for two people for the night. I noticed that he had begun to stare at me, and the alarm bells started going off just a little in the back of my mind. Why was this man looking so intently at me?He then spoke those feared words."I know you" Now my defenses were on full alert.

"No, you don't," I replied. "Yes, I, do," he said a little more forcefully. "I don't think so," I hesitantly responded.

"You are-(insert my name). I looked closer at him, and then the door swung open to my memory banks and I did indeed know this man.

 Yes, I knew him., but how had he become so old? You see, I had graduated with Rob from Wallace High School and had not seen him thirty years. We laughed, had some catch-up conversation, and talked about the present. Yes, it was really good to see Rob. Of course, I went to my mirror and stared at the man looking back at me.Hm, sure glad I had not aged as much as Rob had in thirty years. He looked middle-aged, while I, of course, still looked eighteen! Wow, I wondered, did all of my classmates look old?

Amazing, isn't it? I still see all of them in my mind like they looked all of those years ago.