So, I haven't seen Tina for about, um, 20 years (and sweet Jesus just how old is that supposed to make me feel?) we've been emailing on and off for the last couple of years, but we finally got around to getting together last night. And it was downright surreal. As we're talking I'm suddenly back in college, in the café and we're just shooting the shit like always. I am not kidding. For a long moment, I wasn't sure where I actually was; a massive bout of depersonalization and I'm suddenly watching it all from outside, like a movie. Then the waitress would come by, or someone would be loud, or there was a birthday...—or another birthday, or another..., again, I'm not kidding; I counted 8 at least birthday, just where the hell am I?!?— and I would snap back.
That happened a couple of times. I would come and go as we talked and sometimes it was if no time had passed. That maybe the now was just my imagination. Then another birthday would erupt and I'd be back in '08. Strangely, I actually came away feeling a little better because of it. On the downside, it probably does nothing but reinforce the solipsism, even if it had a calming effect over time.
Later, it just suddenly seemed like the restaurant was empty. The waitress, whom did not appear all that comfortable being a waitress—Tina thought she should work at a bookstore, or the library and that seem to stick—came by at least a half dozen times to rearrange the salt and pepper shakers. I still am not sure what kind of Move-Along tactic that was supposed to be, but we didn't really catch on until the last time when I forced to look around and see how void everything was.
posted by Evil Wayne @ 2:13 PM
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