It’s common to come across one’s acquaintances, relatives and friends at social functions like engagements and marriage celebrations but I never knew a popular restaurant would also turn into a social hub, that is, if you are lucky to run into someone you know as it happened with us.
Several years ago I found a lady sitting at one of the tables staring at me intermittently as she was having her dinner. Half way through her dinner she walked to our table and asked, ‘aren’t you Meera’? It took a full minute for me to say yes because I found her remotely resembling someone I knew and had lost touch for decades. Noticing my ambiguous expression she introduced herself saying, ‘I am Vyjayanthi, haven’t you recognized me’.
‘You have changed a lot,’ was all that I could say scrutinizing her from top to bottom.
On another occasion I found my husband watching a handsome gentleman seated at a distant table going through the menu card very intently. On our way out he gently patted his back and the latter turned round to see who it was and thereon time appeared to stand still for the two of them as they seemed oblivious of the presence of others around!
Some time ago we ran into our former tenant and his mother, years after we last saw them.The elderly lady’s joy had to be seen to be believed! It was a pleasant surprise to see her looking much younger and full of life.
More recently I found a young lady walking towards our table and smiling at me. Even before I attempted to recognize her, she was smart enough to introduce herself as so and so and it rang a bell. I was meeting her after more than a dozen years and noticed she had not changed much during this period. Soon her husband and two children joined her and it was like old times chatting and laughing.
When we next choose to visit this restaurant, we are sure to come across someone we know or acquainted with.
n.meera raghavendra rao
Just Li'Es 
In such situations, all that one can do is put on a feeble smile and mutter to oneself “Your face looks familiar. Sorry I am unable to place you”. This happened to me the other day, when a senior scientist from NAL greeted me with a loud “Dr Raghavan!” on the railway platform in Bangalore. My embarrassment had not died down, till he pushed off to meet his wife returning from Mysore.
This only shows some people are easily recognizable because their appearance has not undergone a major change over the years whereas some change beyond recognition .Therefore the fault is NOT OURS if we fail to place them ,nor is it that of our MEMORY !
Meera madam, you are spot on. Ditto experience here too !
I am sure there will be many more like us!