When I started working for my company, almost every day I would see a gentleman who looked EXACTLY like someone I used to know way back in vicinity of 2001. This was someone I briefly worked with, and so I thought that maybe it would be nice to go up and say hi. The problem was, I wasn't sure whether it WAS this person or not. I always only caught a glimpse of his face from the side, and he looked heavier than I remembered. I wasn't sure. Every time I tried to see his face full on, he would catch me squinting at him and look directly into my eyes, causing me to immediately turn my face away in embarrassment. It was getting awkward. I didn't want to admit that I might not recognize someone I worked with for such a long time, but at the same time if it WASN'T him, I was afraid he'd think I was being coy and trying to introduce myself in a flirtatious way. If I'd gone up and asked "Dale?" the first day I saw him, it would have not been an issue, but as it was, I'd dragged it out so long that I was pretty sure he thought I was just checking him out.

I checked his name in the company directory and I didn't find it, so I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that this was NOT the right person, and that I was an idiot. Still, he continued to parade past my desk and I continued to think that the similarity was so close maybe I'd just misspelled his name or something and missed it.

Fast forward to last week. I was sitting in the lunch room, reading and eating, and he came right up to my table. "Stephanie, you are setting some kind of record with all the books you are reading!" he said, with admiration.

I looked up and finally looked into his face directly for the first time ever. It WASN'T Dale, even though the height/weight/hair/wedding band/occasional glasses were the same. But if it wasn't Dale, how did he know my name? HOW? Maybe Dale was a middle name? HOW?

I went back to my desk and called my friend Missy, who no longer worked there but who had often listened to my ruminations on "Is that Dale? He looks kind of too short. But I'm taller. So maybe he's the same height and it's just me who has changed?"

She listened patiently and then laughed. "Steph, do you think that maybe he knows your name because it's ON YOUR DESK????"

Oh, snap!

Yeah, there is that.

So for the record, this man is NOT Dale, but I swear he freaking looks just like him.
Am I really that unobservant that I can no longer tell them apart, in addition to forgetting their names as soon as I hear them?