Persona Non Grata

I'm not trying to torture a pun here, but it's quite the wake-up call to realize that you've been removed from somebody's cell-phone list, cast aside like used band-aid.

I know, because it happened to me.

So today, I was out and about trying to run errands, not realizing that it's an actual holiday out in the real world. When somebody in the comments sections said that it was a long holiday weekend coming up and I better get to typin', I was like Huh? What? It's Valentine's Day--they don't give you an extra day for that... Having not watched TV or picked up a newspaper in a week, and being the casino's bitch, answering to their beck and call 24/7, I totally forgot that it was President's Day weekend. Seriously, I had no clue.

Anyhow, I was motoring down the 215, coming back from the direction of the Strip/airport/civilization, heading for home this afternoon, when a very familiar looking SUV with a gorgeous blond at the wheel pulled up beside me in the next lane. I noticed that it was my old friend Beth. I hardly ever see her anymore, having spoken to her for about two minutes in the past two months. So I waved, but she was carrying on a conversation with her daughter in the passengers' seat, and didn't see me. No big deal.

We jockeyed back and forth a few times, as traffic was surprisingly heavy, and I waved again once I passed her. And I know she recognizes my truck and license plate. Anyhow, we both got off at the same exit (she lives close by), so I called her to say that it was me sitting next to her at the stoplight--we both have tinted windows, so unless she was paying attention, she wouldn't notice. Anyhow, it rang four times, she didn't answer, so I hung up and went about my business. She turned left, I went straight.

I stopped at the Kwik E Mart 7-11 by my house to get some gas, and just as I was pulling out, my phone started going off. It was Tom Jones singing She's A Lady, Beth's ringtone.

I answered with Hey Baby--what's up?

Her first words -- Who is this?

It's me, Mikey!

A pause...

Mikey who?, she asked.

Mikey from work!

More silence.

Kimmy's friend. Stoney's. Manicures at the spa. THE KISS IN THE PARKING LOT MIKEY! Are you kidding me? You deleted my number and forgot who I was??? Dang, that's cold, woman...

Oh, sorry... What's going on?

Nothing, I said, I was just calling to say hey and that I just passed you on the 215--I was sitting next to you at the stoplight on Valley Verde a couple minutes ago...

Oh. Hey... So are you on your way to work? ...

And so it went for a couple of minutes of small talk. I was dumbfounded, she was unfazed. By then, the conversation was pointless and we said goodbye. It struck me as pretty odd, given the history there. I shouldn't be surprised though, because the last time we talked it was like conversing with a wall--she was looking right through me the whole time, and I felt like the only reason we were having a conversation was because we both happened to be in the same place at the same time.

Oh well. Now I know what it's like to be deleted from somebody's life as well as their phonebook.

Mikey