Guess who?

This morning, I was minding my own business, just picking some things up at the supermarket. I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye. 'Oh, that's, um, that's.... God, who is that?!' I thought.
Her name was one the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't place her. Was she someone I once worked with? She looked like she could be a fashion or beauty editor. Was she a friend of my parents? Was she someone who worked in a shop I've been to?

It was killing me. We kept passing in the opposite direction in each aisle. Each time a stab of recognition hit me, but never enough to work out who the hell she was. Was I rude in not saying hello? Well, I thought, she's not saying hello to me. Should I say hello? What if she's someone from the telly and I make a fool of myself.

The torment continued as she stacked her shopping onto the checkout behind me. As I picked up my bags I took one last sneak-peek. Yep, I knew her from somewhere. Hours later I'm still trying to work how I know her.

When I was growing up, I always remember my parents bumping into people and chatting for ages. When we moved on, I'd ask, 'Who was that?' and they'd reply 'I have no idea!'. I could never imagine how you couldn't remember someone, I could remember every single person I'd ever met. My dad used to say that he met so many people in his job, there was no way he could remember them all. There's a story in my family, I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it wouldn't shock me if it was, apparently my dad was chatting to a lady in a hotel bar in LA. Certain he knew from somewhere he chatted on and on before he realised it was Barbara Streisand.

Now, it would seem, my brain seems to be kicking into the same genetic ways as my parents.

I hate it when people forget who I am. Being shy, I hate social things anyway, but there's nothing worse than meeting someone you've met a few times before and they give you that look. They crinkle their eyes and tilt their head and say "Ummmmm I don't think we've met..." It makes me want to scream!
So, for me to do it to someone else is highly embarrassing.

Not so long ago, I was walking down the main street of my suburb. I heard someone call out 'Corinne! Corinne! How are you?' I turned and saw a lady I did not recognise at all. Terror hit me as I desperately tried to work out who she was. I look at the two kids with her. Nup, nothing. We continued chatting for a few minutes and she finally mentioned my brother and it clicks. It was a someone who was a friend of my brother and we used to work for the same publisher, but I could swear I had never met her. Heard about her a lot, sure. But never met her, I'm certain of it. How did she recognise me then? I am losing my mind. My mind is melting and turning into my parents! Am I going to be one of 'those' people?

Anyhoo, if you know who the elegant, petite, well-dressed blonde in her 50s at the IGA is, please let me know!