Image available from pixabay, accessed on 06/06/19.

What do you call someone you know about, but you don’t really know? That guy that always gets on the bus at stop 10. The guy that I’ve never actually talked to but have seen everyday for the past three years. What is he to me? Not really a stranger, but not really an acquaintance either. A kind of halfway between the two. An aquainger.

I know lots of aquaingers. The people in my seminar I’ve never talked to? They’re all aquaingers. Familiar faces I’ve attached basic attributes to. I know that short good-fashion-sense-girl is always early to class, and I know that tall beard-person always packs his own lunch. I know loud sideburns-man always answers the questions and loud pony-tail-girl always rolls her eyes when he does. I know these things about them, but I have no idea who they are. I don’t know what their interests are or what they do in their spare time. I don’t even know their names.

There’s some people on my commute who are aquaingers. There are loud school kid #1 and #2, and there’s quiet schoolkid. There’s ambiguous business-man. There’s sweet looking older person, and there’s long haired bus driver. There’s the purple wizard in the city, although maybe he’s more of a public figure.

I wonder what I am to other people? Always late to class guy? Needs to reassess fashion choices man? The loud one? These all just sound like really lame superheroes, but maybe that’s how people see me.

It’s kind of sad that I’ve missed the opportunity to get to know these people. Well, actually, I don’t really know if it’s sad or not. They may all be awful. Still, it’s an interesting case study of lost connection.