Soul-Fusion recently posted an email from her brother, in which he describes asking a girl out over the phone, and she "pretends" she doesn't know him. He laughed at the experience in the post, but he never tried to ask her out again -- or even spoke to her again. This caused me some guilt, as it reminded me of a similar story from my own experience, but from the other side of the phone line.
When I was in high school, I was pretty much completely absent from the social scene. I was painfully shy, awkward, and terrified of boys -- at least in one-on-one settings. Some of you knew me in high school. I hope you don't remember the shyness, because I tried hard to hide it, but nevertheless it was there. I went on exactly two dates in my high school career. The first was to a dance with the friend of my cousin, because the cousin took pity on me. The second was with a friend of a friend, because he was a really nice guy and I wanted to go to senior prom. Anyway, these nice high school boys are totally irrelevant to the story -- I just got a little sidetracked trying to set the mood. For the story, you are supposed to think of me, the high school social outcast.
One evening in high school, I got a call from a boy. I had been asleep, and was a little groggy, so he talked for a while, trying to get me to guess who it might be on the phone. I had no idea. After several minutes of asking me to guess, he announced himself.
"It's Brady!" he said.
Silence. Who was Brady? I didn't know any Bradys. There were no Bradys in my classes. There were no Bradys in my after school activities (such as ballet -- no Bradys in ballet).
"Brady who?"
Poor Brady. He hung up much less enthusiastic than he began. I really didn't know him. Really. I didn't. I asked some friends about him the next day. Maybe they knew him? Not really.
I think, and I thought then, that he had the wrong Artax. There were several Artax's at my high school, which shouldn't be a surprise in a school of about 2100, seeing how Artax is such a popular name. Several of the other Artaxes were cute and talkative and social creatures, and it is highly likely that they would have done crazy things like actually have spoken to boys. Me, not so likely. Pretty much my whole high school career, my only boy phone call was that one from Brady. And the wrong Artax.
Brady, if you are out there, I hope you called the real Artax soon after. I hope you sorted the phone call out with her the next day, and then laughed at yourself and at me. I sincerely hope that you didn't hide away in a shell, embarrassed, devastated, convinced that the Artax of your dreams, with whom you had shared so much already, had forgotten you. Rejected you. Acted as though she didn't even know you. I hope you didn't decide that your sweet Artax must not love you after all, because this Artax, the wrong Artax, turned you down that evening many years ago. You two were meant to be, and I did not mean to come between you.
Brady, where ever you are, I hope you have found love.
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2 comments:
Oh! Tragedy! I used to worry that someone would call me, and think they were talking to a different Thora, and somehow they would have a familiar name, and we'd arrange to meet each other, and then they'd stand me up by going to the other Thora's house. Since Thora is such a common name, and all. I do hope that Brady figured this all out - preferably before his ego collapsed forever.
oh the high school phone call. I think only two boys ever called me in high school - one was a boy who wore dark glasses (not sunglasses, just dark glasses) and he called and essentially just breathed on the phone and I tried to figure out how to get off the phone. Ugh, high school was the worst. Only junior high was worse than that.
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