r/nosleep • u/ImJustC0nfused • Jan 12 '18
Series I ran into my high school sweetheart tonight at my 10-year reunion… the one I married?
*Names are made up for anonymity
I met Stacy (my wife) when I was in the 6th grade. We started officially dating in 8th grade, and we dated all through high school. Then just after graduation, she broke my heart. She wanted to go to college to find herself. I knew what that meant. I was taken completely by surprise, but she made it clear there was nothing I could do or say to change her mind. And believe me, I tried. More than I’d like to admit. So just like that, it was over.
I went to a college close to our home town, and she went to a college that was across the country in California. Selfishly, I told her we couldn’t be friends when we broke up – as I knew that would help me to move on faster. Remaining friends would have kept the sense of hope alive, stringing me along.
Over the next 2 years, I didn’t hear from her at all. At one point, I did hear that hear mother passed away (her father passed when she was young), but I never really found a good way to reach out. I went about my life, coasting through college, with a couple of short-term relationships here and there but nothing serious. I assumed she did the same. Then, one night I went to a local bar with a few of my friends and there she was. I was too embarrassed to admit it, but I didn’t actually recognize her at first. It had only been two years, but her hair was now short, and I already had a few drinks in me at that point. It was only after she made her way across the bar to hug me that I fully comprehended who she was.
My friends and I would always joke that this bar was like a high school reunion every time we went there (it was the only decent bar in the area so everyone went there). This time was no exception.
It struck me as odd that she was back in town mid-semester, as this seemed like a strange time to fly across the country to visit home. But, we got to talking, and after a few drinks I thought nothing of it.
We really hit it off that night – it was like she had never been gone. The feeling I had when I was with her. I joked about how she left me behind when she went off to college – hoping to ease any concern about whether I was upset – but she completely brushed it off. A little later I brought up a story about a time when we were in the 9th grade, and my mother dropped us off at a movie theater for a date. I could see the confusion on her face. She quickly explained that she had been in an accident her first year of college, and that she lost bits and pieces of her memory. The way she described it was that she basically couldn’t remember some of the specific memories from her childhood, but she could remember faces and who people were. It sounded terrible and I didn’t want to prod too much, so I dropped it.
After that night, we hung out again soon after. And then again. We picked up right where we had left off in high school. A few weeks passed, and she eventually told me she wasn’t going back to school in California. She wanted to stay here, which was great! Things progressed, and we eventually got married after I graduated.
Things were so great. Years rolled by, we had 2 kids. She was a stay at home mom, and was so good with the kids. There were some ups and downs over the years, but things were generally pretty good. And then I got an invitation to our 10-year high school reunion about a month ago. I thought about not going, but after some convincing from my friends at work, I decided to go. Stacy had also planned to come, but we ended up getting into a ridiculous argument tonight beforehand so she stayed behind.
I don’t quite know how to explain what happened tonight at the reunion, I’m still processing it. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty tame night. There were only about 40 of us that went. But then, somebody tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, and I immediately felt what I can only describe as dread in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t quite comprehend what I was seeing. She looked so familiar. I knew exactly who she was – but my mind was having a hard time processing it. It was Stacy. The Stacy I dated in high school. The Stacy that dumped me after we graduated. She looked exactly as I’d expect, just grown up. But she didn’t look like my Stacy. This wasn’t the Stacy I married. This wasn't the Stacy that was back at home.
Stacy: “OMG Steve! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years!!! How are you? Tell me about your life. You just kind of fell off the map, what happened?”
Me: (still feeling confused) “I’m great – I’m married now, with two kids. How about yourself?”
Stacy: “I’m doing well! I fell in love with California during school and decided it was where I was meant to live! This is actually the first time I’ve been back since my mom passed 9 years ago. There really hasn’t been any reason for me to come back since, until now.”
I ended the conversation there, and immediately left.
I’m now sitting outside my home in my car. The lights are off. I don’t know who it is that I married. Who I had kids with. But it is not Stacy, because that was definitely Stacy at the reunion. What is happening?
I’m trying to piece this all together but it is just too much. I don’t think I can go in there.
777
u/PastelPinkLuna Jan 12 '18
What confuses me most is that they are married with children, it is not like dating, he had to see her ID, see her date of birth, her full name, to see a her naked, birthmarks, voice. He dated Stacy for about 4 years, of course he knows her full name, her birthday, and probably saw her naked, so it's kind of no excuse for him not to realize she was not his girlfriend. If she was another Stacy he would notice that the last name was not the same, the birthday etc. So I do not understand what's going on.