I always run into people I know at Ikea.

This weekend I ran into TWO people I know at Ikea. Sort of.

See, the Boy and I were just finishing up our trip (buying shelving that will fit behind a door – no one makes super shallow shelving, it’s so irritating) and were on our way to the ‘as is’ department to give it a glance, when I heard my name being called.

I turned around and there was my friend Bea*. “Bea!” I cried, and ran up to her and hugged her. “I haven’t seen you in forever, how are you?”

She was well, she introduced me to her husband, who was nice. ‘Funny,’ I thought, ‘I didn’t know she and Bob had broken up, so sad, well don’t say anything.’

We continued chatting, she was there to re-do her kitchen. I said I’d been in my place for three years and hadn’t redone mine yet, she said she and her husband had been in their house for nine years and hadn’t done theirs yet, and I thought, ‘that’s weird, I’m sure I’ve seen her with Bob since that long ago, maybe I’m forgetting something…’

Then I called to the Boy, said ‘this is Bea, we used to work together, but I think you might have met already a few years ago.’

Then I mentioned to her that she hadn’t yet responded to the email about the bunch of us Marketing ladies getting together for dinner this week. At which point she said, “I’m Clara.”

Yes, this wasn’t Bea at all, this was Clara — a senior partner in my firm. Who I know relatively well and have spoken with many times. My brain hadn’t just attached the wrong name to her, it had attached the wrong PERSON to her. And she even let me get away with calling her Bea instead of Clara three times before it became clear I wasn’t just calling her the wrong name.

“Omigod, I’m so sorry Clara!” I fell over myself in embarrassment. “I haven’t seen you around the office a lot lately, have I?” ‘Yeah,’ I thought, ‘that’s suave.’

Afterwards the Boy tried to make me feel better by telling me she’d probably already forgotten about it. “You’re a fool,’ I told him. “Of course she hasn’t forgotten, she’ll probably never forget about this, I mean would you?”

I’m seriously worried about my brain.

* names changed, of course, to protect all those involved, plus possibly my continuing career.