Has someone you used to know ever made one last random appearance?

I think it's interesting how people come and go from your life, but even more interesting is that one last, unexpected appearance. Someone that you were friends with for a while, or a former neighbor, or classmate or coworker - someone who used to be a part of your life in some way - appears in an unexpected encounter. It usually takes place about 1 year after you last saw them. It could take place in a grocery store or anywhere else. When you get home, you tell someone, "Oh guess what, I saw (name)." And more often than not, that is the last time you ever see them? It's that "one last appearance" of that person in your life. Does anyone recognize this phenomenon?

I've had it happen with former neighbors, and I'm stuck trying to remember their name, and it's obvious I don't... :blush:

I once met a friend who had "dumped" me four years before when I was living in Oregon. I was on the Green Line in Boston heading to work, when I heard her voice. I looked to my right and there she was, the Wicked Witch of the West, standing not two feet away! We said our hellos, remarked on the coincidence, and that was that. Odd!

He died suddenly four months later. I'm glad I got to see him that one last time.

strange but, true.

There was a woman I had a torrid six week affair with in college back in 1988. After the break-up we remained friends but when we both left town we didn't stay in touch.

I occasionally Googled her and was able to find a current address but never had the nerve to drop her a note.

In the summer of 2002 I ran into her at a small outdoor concert in my town. I had no idea she was even living here. She said hi and even though it took me a few minutes to figure out who the hell she was we eventually had a nice time catching up. We exchanged phone numbers and I called her a couple times but we never got together again. I think she's moved again and I doubt I'll ever see her again.

Flew a trip with a copilot who had been stationed at the same base I had 20 years ago. The trip was 4 days of "whatever happened to so-and-so," and "do you know what ________ is up to these days?" One name in particular kept coming up, and both of us had lost touch with him. I had been fairly close friends with him back in the day.

Lo and behold, when we arrived at the last layover city, that guy was one of the people getting off of my plane! He and I went out that evening and caught up on things. It was a great time. I've never seen him or heard from him since. Never answered an e-mail or letter. That was probably 5 years ago.

....in a few days.

You'll never see them again.

One of my favorite truisms of life.

mikey_the_rat

My wife and I were at a flea market in another state, and ran into my ex-wife.

Very random, very weird. Have never seen or talked to her again since.

RL

I saw a high school classmate at Target in the city where my mother lives (which is where I went to high school) 18 years after we graduated. She was there visiting her family, and so was I. I hadn't talked to her since graduation, and I didn't recognize her---but she recognized me. :) We talked for about half an hour, exchanged email addresses, and left. She emailed me once, and I emailed her back, but that's been the extent of it.

A month ago, I was at the gym in the city where I live. It was a Sunday, and not many people were in there. I was there by myself, and a woman came running up to me, waving and smiling. It was a former coworker from the college where I worked for seven years. I was really surprised (but pleasantly) because I worked in a different city than where I lived, and she had no reason to be in my town. Turns out she is dating a guy who lives not far from me and belongs to that gym. She actually now lives 30 miles further away from us than she did when she worked at that college. We talked for a good while about people we knew and caught up on news, then we said goodbye. Don't know if I'll see her again, but if I do, it'll be fine. :)

It's gotten to the point where I've started to believe that nothing 'ever ends' and nobody (men especially) ever 'go away' ... because THEY ALL COME BACK.

:hide:


Sometimes it takes a few months, in one case it took 23 years ... but we inevitably cross paths again.


:wtf: