Not Quite Strangers — Long-Sleeve Tee

You know this person's face. You know the expression they make when the bus is late, and possibly what they order for lunch. Their name remains an ambitious next step. For months you have been moving through the same small part of the day, gradually becoming people who acknowledge each other without either person having arranged it.

Then you see them somewhere else. A different street, a different hour, somebody beside them whom you have never seen before. Recognition arrives in pieces. You stare just long enough to become concerned about the staring, smile a little too broadly, and receive a relieved smile in return. Apparently you were both trying to remember which version of the world you share.

The conversation is brief and unexpectedly pleasant. You discover one actual fact about them, which makes the next familiar sighting feel slightly different. When you see them the following week, you almost use their name, then realize that the actual fact concerned a dog. The dog has a name now. You and the other person remain on excellent, largely anonymous terms.

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