there was a man who apparently shared my knowledge of this particular building cut. I felt a nonsensical feeling of camaraderie with this fellow keeper of the labrynth, I held each door we passed through open behind me, but in my hurry, I never really glanced back to see who my fellow KOL was. But then, as we passed outside the other side of the building I found our paths were the same all the way up to the building that my class was in, which I thought was curious but still not enough cause to make me turn around and look at the man. As I opened the inner door to the building and he thanked me (for the fourth time), I thought I heard him say "...Mia?" which it couldn't have been!.... could it?

I'm not really the most confident of persons... at all really... So I never really expect to know anyone, let alone a tall, caucasian male. I turn around hesitantly, in case I mistook my name for a common work like "yeah" or a cough or something (which I am wont to do). I look up at the male and confirm my suspicions that I have absolutely no clue who this kind man is. I gaze at him with what I can only guess was a bewildered and half expectant expression of a ridiculous nature.
"Mia? I'm sorry I might be mistaking you for someone else but- Mia?"
"We met last spring, I think? At the festival?"
Sudden comprehension and fear and guilt floods into my heart. I know what he's talking about but I'd met so many people that day and I still had no inkling of a memory as to who he was.
I started to protest and realized immediately that I couldn't refute him, I genuinely had no idea. But I told him that I did remember meeting him vaguely.
"Yeah, no it's alright. Where are you headed?"
Uh, class actually. I'm actually really late...
And in my mortification and guilt, I apologized again and ducked into the hallway of my classroom.

As I sat in class I found myself completely unable to concentrate despite it being one of my more interesting classes. I started to trace his name over and over again in my journal in a vain effort to resurface some sort of memory of him. And it came to me! He had been to the prayer tree booth that i was manning and talked at length with me and my co-boother. I then realized that in my guilt I hadn't even been able to really look at him and register what he looked like. Which, in turn, brought more guilt and I desperately tried to sketch his features so that I might be able to remember him if I ever saw him again.

Poor, poor attempt. he looks like a 40 year old hobo with my representation

When class finally ended, I walked out of my class in a daze; dogged by my guilty conscience. I walked back to the point where I left him, praying that I might somehow meet him again to rectify the situation in someway. In the end found two of my friends there and threw my sorrows upon their unsuspecting souls and they responded with a valiant effort to comfort me. At which point, I see the very subject of my sorrows walk past and I, in shock, rigidly lift a hand in a wave with a mangled and guilty smile. I'm rewarded with a guarded nod and smile and he passed and ascended the stairs.

Though I'm eternally grateful for even just that opportunity. I was upset at the fact that I couldn't have given him a better greeting from the start. I believe that the best relationships and encounters are based on equal amounts of love on both parts, no matter how small. And when I can't return that same level of affection I feel so let down because I know how I would feel in their shoes. Humiliated and like I'm not worth knowing. I wish I could have given him more than just a broken smile and an awkward wave.
I do remember you, maybe not your face, but I do remember the air of the conversation we had and your kind and open demeanor that made it easy for me to talk to you and share what I believed in. I remember that you were wearing a white shirt. I remember that you stood there and talked to us for hours like you were truly interested when we had been convinced that no one would come to our stall to talk to us. To be absolutely honest with you, I never thought I'd see you again. But that does not mean that I don't want to. It would be a privilege to be able to get to know you and try to understand your beliefs just as you once tried to understand mine. It'll take some work on my part since I'm not quite so adept at navigating conversation as you are, but I always try my best. Wherever you are, I hope you have friends who treat you as well as they treat themselves. I wish you the best, because I believe that you deserve it.
Mia