We’ve all been there. We meet many people in life. Often we forget their names (at least I do), but seldom do we forget their faces. And then, months later, we’re beside them in a checkout line or in the same elevator (hit the emergency button!), and we know we know them, but do they remember? Do we bring it up? Do we say hi? Or do we pretend we don’t recognize them? Or, even better, we don’t see them?

This most recently happened to me while I was at Kroger. Two guys live above me in my apartment building. We share many acquaintances (44 mutual friends according to Facebook), but we’ve run into each other about three times in the last year. The furthest our conversation has gone is “What’s up?” while one of us holds the door.

Suddenly I found myself at the self-checkout counter beside my neighbor. What do I do? Do I say hi? He’s focusing on his screen. Let me focus harder on mine. Or should I interrupt him to say hey? Am I rude to say nothing? Or is it weirder to say something?