Take for instance my penchant for going to wine tastings. I have a circuit. I like my circuit; it's my routine and it's my social time. I've been at this for a few years, so I consider it MY TIME. I know a lot of the sommeliers, shop owners, shop workers, and fellow tasters. Going to the local shops for these wine tastings is a treat that I do just for me. I usually meet pals at the tastings, but I've no problem going alone.
Today I am at my usual Saturday haunt, schmoozing and chatting like I always do. It's very crowded today, and that makes me happy for the shop owners. I am with a gal pal, one who will be leaving me soon for the warmer climes of North Carolina, and we are on the second to last wine of the day. I look up over her shoulder to talk to her when I notice someone I used to know, someone I forgot existed. Someone from my locked and dismissed "Hope I Never Have to See that Asshole Ever Again" file.
I truly hope this person doesn't approach me. It's obvious that Persona non Grata has recognized me, but, in the throng of people, I can pretend I do not notice. And truly, it's not that I care. I don't. But, still. Really. It's like when you accidentally step in dog shit and then you have to wipe your shoe, and, even though it looks completely and totally clean, you can still smell the faint aroma of dog shit, like it's stuck inside your nostrils. You forget about the dog shit for a while, but later when you least expect it, the scent wafts back to your nostrils like a really sour memory.
That's what today's near encounter is -- the lingering stench of dog shit.
After leaving the shop and clearing my senses, the memory fades away and goes right back where it belongs, right back into the subconscious file. Well, almost all the way into the file. I do still have the briefest thought, nagging at me enough to write about it for now. Good gawd, though. I truly, seriously, honestly hope I never, ever have to see that horrible, demeaning, evil asshole ever again in my lifetime. With that thought, I shut and lock the file.
