A Man Named Mark

Mark was 22 years old when I met him. He worked the door at a tavern that my girlfriends and I went to in the middle of a small Texas town. He was a college kid while I was suddenly closer to 35 than 25. After 3 weeks, we ran out of things to talk about. He smoked a lot and I faked like I was a smoker when we hung out. I felt the first hypochondriac signs of lung cancer so I wanted to break up soon.  I hadn't experienced peer pressure since my teens and actually missed the awkward feelings. So I thought since I couldn't get those feelings back-I'd skip straight to the vice taking. He looked like a floppier version of Matthew McConaughey (but with super yellow teeth). 

I am sure that I had no real impact on his life and vice versa. However, for the next 3 years, I received a text message from him every single holiday. 

Happy Valentines Day Rainey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Merry Xmas!

After the 2nd year, they would become more personal. He would send text message pleas for me to contact him so that we could "hang out". 

I would send him an email in response to his text messages every holiday. I never referenced the text messages but would attempt to strike up a light hearted conversation letting him know that I hoped he was well. He would never respond when I actually did reach out. But strangely the next Holiday would come and he would send me another personal text of, "Hey Rainey, been thinking of you, please write or call." 

I would write again. Still no response.  I found it odd that he would make the effort after all of these years to make contact with me only to ignore me when I would reciprocate. But these are the games of single life so I'd resign to go with the flow. He was a nice kid. Why be harsh? 

This December I received my annual text message filled with good will from him. This time I decided to end the charade- I called him. 

The Mark that answered the phone wasn't the Mark that I knew. This man had a Latino voice. WTF?

He said, "Hello Rainey-finally! How are you? I'm in Austin now. Can I take you to dinner?" 

Rewind to 4 years prior. I was on match.com and there was a man who kept emailing me. None of his photos were consistent (some he was thin in, others fat) and I didn't like his humor-there was something sardonic about it. We spoke once on the phone and I didn't like his accent and there was something that I couldn't put my finger on that just gave me the heebie jeebies. His name was Mark as well. I must've put his name and number in my phone and got the 2 Mark's confused. I had only ever spoken to that "creepy Mark" once. Well, until now.