An open letter to the cute guy from Biology class forever ago.

Hi, cute guy from Biology class from forever ago.

Eww--no, not him.


To the actual person who was in a real biology class and who never looked constipated or like a serial killer like that:


Hi.

*laughs nervously, rubs palms on thighs, and licks lips.* 

I'm sure you don't remember me. We shared am 8am class at community college a million years ago. Okay--it was only a few years ago. I'm not THAT old. The class was Biology 110 if memory serves. You don't remember? Of course not--because you never looked at me twice. If you had, I would have probably sculpted my number for you out of frog entrails or from the cellular cross-sections of onion skins or something. To this day I don't understand why you didn't notice me...

But hey, this isn't about me nursing some weird stalker-wound. This is about you. Besides, I'm married now to a pretty incredible guy, so I'm good. I promise.

Anyways, I got an "A" in Biology 110 and from a place of reflection here in my adult life I want to say "thank you".

See, I was never the most dedicated student. I preferred cutting class to hang out with my friends, or sleep in, or take random road trips with my best friend to stay in the trailer of a strange man after I'd called in sick to work. (The trailer is a story for another time.) More than anything, I was a 20 year old female. I don't know why society asks young people to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and commit tens of  thousands of their parents' dollars and the best party years of their lives to it. I was tanning lifeguarding for a living then for Pete's sake. I wasn't exactly the heart and soul of professional dedication.

The two things I was dedicated to were 1) cute guys and 2) getting their attention. There was very little I wasn't willing to do to obtain these things. And truthfully, the most enticing thing guys could do was ignore me.


So, thank you for being adorable. Thank you for being way more committed to Biology 110 than I was. Because of you, I sat in the back row of the lecture hall every Tuesday and Thursday morning, shoulders thrown back and head held high, ready for you to and sure that you would notice me. But you didn't. So eventually I got bored and took notes to pass the time. Because of you I can still tell you the difference between DNA and RNA, I vaguely remember the scientific method, and for some reason, the words "endoplasmic reticulum" mean something to me.


But more than anything, you ignored me even though I showed up every class, hoping that would be the day you noticed me. But you never did.


And weirdly, for that all these years later:

Thank you for the "A."

All best to you,
R