“This world is vast yet at times it seems so small. We all have a look-alike; double, twin, mirror image and that can be a scary thing.”

There are people that I don’t know, but they argue that we met at so-and-so place. I would insist that we did not and they sometimes get angry because they believe that I am not being truthful. There are times people would smile at me… I return the smile and those moments just ends with a good feeling. At times they smile as though they know me and then I would start taxing my brain, ‘Oh my gosh, am I suppose to know this person? Oh Jesus, who is this?

“Allison? How are you?” They would ask. I would be still taxing my brain to remember, but I would say, “I’m good. How are you?” … My brain would be going a mile a minute saying, ‘Remember, remember. Oh gosh remember. Not for hell would I remember.” 

“You don’t remember me right?” They sometimes ask.

“I am sorry. You do look familiar, but I cannot put a name to your face,” I would say… feeling a bit embarrassed. They would tell me and weather or not we know each other, we usually have a good conversation.

One day a lady said that I helped her in Alaska. I explained to her that it wasn’t me. I have never been to Alaska. I stood there listening to her try to make me remember that we met. It hurt to see a bit of disappointment on her face as she went on detailing the happy moment she shared with my look-alike.

A man said he met me while traveling to England with his elderly mother. Midway into the flight she had a situation; I helped her and did not complain. I told him I have never been to England and he said that I have a look-alike.

This one had me in a tizzy, because I did visit those two countries during the years mentioned.

A man smiled at me and said, “Hi. How you doing? It is so good to see you.”

I said hi, it’s good to see you too, but I did not smile.

He said, “You are Trinidadian, right?”

“Yes. I am.”

“You don’t remember me?”

“No. I don’t.”

“We met 1979 in Canada then 1982 in the Bahamas,” He said.

A feeling of awkwardness crossed my heart as I calmly said, “We did, where in Canada and where in the Bahamas?”

“At Niagara Falls and we both stayed at the same hotel on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.”

I explained, to him that I was in Canada in 1979. I did not visit the fall. I was in the Bahamas in 1982 but I did not stay at a hotel on Paradise Island.

He looked at me as though I was not being truthful, but then he said, “There is a person out there who has a great resemblance to you.”

“We all have a double,” I said and that was the end of the conversation, but the man kept looking at me as though I am two-faced…