A follow-up to my earlier post about this town being too small for internet dating:

That same guy approached me again the other day. At the same coffee shop - go figure. It was similarly awkward: he packed up his books to leave, then walked over with a sorta shy smile and said hi. But in a rather more familiar way than one would expect from the random dude at the next chaise over. I smiled and returned the greeting, but obviously not in a warm enough fashion.

His smile faltered a little, and he said, "You don't remember me, do you?"

Beat. Uh-oh. Buddy, I'm up to my ears in the Internal Revenue Code, and I'm not even sure I'd recognize my own mother if she approached me here (actually, combine my complete lack of facial memory and inability to place people out of context with my inexplicable refusal to respond to e-dating emails...no wonder I'm chronically single).

"Um, no. Sorry."

"Yeah, I talked to you once before, about recognizing you from..."

(Me, frantically interrupting): "Right, oh yeah, sorry."

Followed by about three minutes of uncomfortable chatter.