Faces

We see many faces as we go about the business of living. The faces of those near and dear to us could never be forgotten. The same goes for the people we deal with on a more or less regular basis like doctors, dentists, and so on. My dentist works behind a mask that looks like the lower half of a cartoon cat’s face. Not easy to forget.

But every day we see the faces of people we recognize but whose names we don’t know. The cashier at the grocery store who always greets you with a smile, the bank employee who goes out of his way to make certain all your questions are answered. In their environment, we have no problem figuring who they are. However, if we see these people outside their work place, it may take a second or two to figure out who they are. They are after all nameless faces

When I worked full time, I commuted downtown by train. I always rode the same train in the morning and in the evening. Not being a morning person, I was often late and I would rush to make it to the station before the train. The engineer would wave at me as I ran through the open space behind the houses in our neighborhood and he slowed down so I could make it to the station. In the evening, as I walked back home, he would briefly use the train’s whistle as he waved at me. This went on for a number of years.

One day, I went home at noon for some reason. As I was making my way through the downtown station to catch the midday train, I saw a man walking towards me, a smile on his face. I knew I knew the face, but for a second or two I could not place it. Then it dawned on me. I said: “I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you without your train.” He laughed for a long time. After that, he seemed to laugh again as he waved from the train, no doubt my inane remark still echoing.