That Awkward Moment

Adam and I moved in to a new ward a few months ago.  A couple weeks after we moved in, part of a much larger ward was broken off and added to ours, so we did not get callings right away.

This week, Adam and I were asked to team teach one of the Valiant 9 classes.  The primary is enormous, so most of the classes are split in two.  Even with only half  the 9-10 year olds, we have 13 kids in our class!!

Today the ward had a "meet your teacher" breakfast.  When Adam and I arrived, we were directed to our table and we sat with our kids and watched other children and teachers arrive.

Now I am going to confuse you and back track to ten years ago:

It was the summer of 2002, and I was nearly 19.  I had just graduated high school and began attending young single adult activities.  At one of these activities, I met a young man who at first seemed very charming. I will call him J.  J was friendly and flirtatious, and honestly he was one of the first guys to pay much attention to me.  We started "hanging out" or "dating", whatever you want to call it.  I realized very quickly he was extremely picky.  He didn't like my curly hair or the fact that I weighed six pounds more than him (at that time I was probably the lightest I have ever been and was super cute).  He was short and scrawny, but I liked having someone to hang out with.  He had a brother I will call R who was pretty cool, and I always enjoyed a night when J, R, my friends and I would all hang out.  One night when he was walking me to my door, J attempted to kiss me.  I had never been kissed before, and I don't think I knew what he was up to.  I must have thought he was coming in for a hug.  Anyway, he had never kissed anyone either, and he came at me with his mouth wide open.  He ended up licking my teeth.  I was so surprised and frankly grossed out, I started gagging.  We hung out for a couple more weeks (no more kissing attempts were made) and he finally called it off.  I wasn't surprised and really wasn't hurt when he said he didn't want to date me anymore, so we went our separate ways.  I saw him from time to time, but it was always weird and awkward.  His brother was still pretty cool though, and I imagine we might have been friends.  

Okay, fast forward back to today.  As I was watching the people coming and going, I noticed a man who looked super familiar sitting at a table across from mine.  It took me a moment to place him, but I thought he looked an awful lot like the bigger and bulkier R.  Each table had the teachers' last name on it, and when I read his, I pointed him out to Adam. I nearly ran up to reintroduce myself, but then I realized things were always kind of awkward with his brother.  And if I made friends with R, he might mention me to his brother, or I might end up crossing paths with J, so I decided to leave things alone and pretend like I didn't know him.

I did my best to get through the activity without making eye contact with R or his wife, even though they are teaching the second half of the Valiant 9 class.

After the activity was over, the teachers gathered in the primary room for a training meeting.  They had us go around the room and introduce ourselves.  When they got to this man's wife, she introduced them both saying, "this is my husband J".  I was floored.  This was not the harmless R, but his brother the tooth licker!  Scrawny J had gained a bit of weight, so I had mistaken him for his brother!  I was mortified!!

Adam wasn't much help.  I was hoping since I hadn't meant much to J he would have forgotten all about me. But Adam says you never forget your embarrassing kisses, so he says J will remember me.  Boo.

How does this happen to me?  Of all the wards I might  move into, of all the callings I could get, I end up sharing one with a guy I would much rather forget???  Back then, I was still transitioning from awkward teen to confident co-ed, and he really messed with my self-esteem.

My plan is to pretend that I don't know who he is.  If he doesn't seem to recognize me I am going to let him think I don't recognize him.

Now I have to figure out what I have done that has so upset the Karma gods.