To ask what random people you think about now and again?

[AiyaNapawithmorenaps]

Here's my list
1.) ex colleague who was sure she wanted 3 kids but hadn't had any at the time. I had two and when I spoke about any of the realities of parenthood with small DC's she would sort of resist it and say 'oh well mine won't be anything like that.' Her DH was vaguely controlling with money and the last I heard she had given up her job after maternity leave, which had made me feel a bit
2.) friend who was had dreams of returning to university but things kept getting in the way, I hope she managed to return to study again.
3.) another ex colleague who had a row with her then husband, went on holiday with her mum, met a bloke by the pool, got back home, started divorce proceedings, quit her job and moved across the country to be with him. Apparently they're still together and have a child.
4.) a parent of a friend of DD's. Took her daughter out of school when Covid broke out (weeks before the schools shut) and they never returned. I think her anxiety must have really taken a battering.

A man I met when I was 18 in London. Both in hurry, coming from opposite directions. He looked like a sort of European prince. Very well groomed and handsome. Our eyes met from quite a way away and we both slowed down, smiling. We stopped. He said, with a lovely accent, he didnt normally do this but could he have my phone number. I replied I didnt normally do this but yes.
I lived in a busy houseshare at the time with one landline. (pre mobiles). He phoned three times. I was out each time. My housemates didnt take a proper message or his number.
Who was he? What might have happened? One of the most filmic moments of my life.

A couple that fostered me in mid 90s . I was 500 odd miles from home, they took me into their house (I remember they were fostering about 10-15 others) and took me out for a McDonald’s . I can’t remember their faces or picture much of it very easily, I was only there a few hours/maximum of one evening I think, I’m not sure - but I do remember the feeling of warmth and safety in their house and that all the other children with them were happy .

Also a social worker student who took me to her flat years and years ago when I was about 3-4 years old after my parent took very ill in M&S . I sat on her knee drawing with highlighters . She had the bright idea of getting the phone book and seeing if I could help her find someone who knew me - goodness knows how but I was able to recognise my grandparents name and number .

On a lighter note; my best friend at 18 - I fancied her rotten long before I came out as gay ... and I often wonder if she knew - she would flirt with me all the time - but never actually did anything beyond holding hands ! I still have various presents, cards etc she bought me . Bumped into her mum a few years back and mum said she was engaged to a man, I often wonder if she knew that I loved her .

When I was 19 I went to work on Switzerland and would buy my cigarettes every day at the same newsagents. The woman there was really nice. When I bought my final pack and it was time for me to go to the UK for uni, I told her goodbye, and she started crying and hugged me
I guess she might have had some stuff going on in her life. Every now and then I think of her.

Another girl I was friends with from about aged 13 to 16. One day I was sleeping over at hers and in the morning her dad stormed in, ripped the covers off her bed and shouted at her "Get up, you need to go for a run, you're getting fat". She wasn't. I still think of her sometimes and hope she didnt end up with a dickhead.

A woman I used to volunteer with at a shelter for asylum seekers in London. We met at the induction day and just clicked. She was in love with a man much older than her and didn’t feel it could progress because her parents would disapprove. We both moved house and lost touch. I think of her often and hope she found happiness.

After posting earlier I’ve done a bit of googling and found a photo/news article of the couple I believe fostered me (details I did remember all add up, several things matched exactly) - thanks so much OP for posting this, I’ve wondered about them for 23 years and never had the confidence to try and search - funny that sticking ‘x and x, foster carers in x town’ immediately got results . Don’t think I’ll pursue it further, they almost certainly won’t remember me - but they look a lovely couple, and that allows me to settle that memory - thank you so much .

@cantbelieveallforme

After posting earlier I’ve done a bit of googling and found a photo/news article of the couple I believe fostered me (details I did remember all add up, several things matched exactly) - thanks so much OP for posting this, I’ve wondered about them for 23 years and never had the confidence to try and search - funny that sticking ‘x and x, foster carers in x town’ immediately got results . Don’t think I’ll pursue it further, they almost certainly won’t remember me - but they look a lovely couple, and that allows me to settle that memory - thank you so much .

This is lovely. I would drop them a line, I bet they'd be delighted to hear from you.

Mine is someone I worked with in my twenties. We got on really well. She moved to London in the early 2000's and doesn't appear to use social media etc. I really wonder what happened to her.

The other is a girl I went to uni with who died on 7/7 . We weren't great friends or anything. I just think what a tragic waste of life it was.

I sometimes think about my old teachers and the start they gave me in life. Most will be dead or retired by now. Two of my teachers, whom I remember very fondly, Miss H and Mrs W, died of cancer.

My last headmaster Mr C was an inspirational teacher and very forward looking. He taught me French for 3 years and appeared to take a special interest in me. He also offered me a bursary so I could go to Paris with the School because my parents could not afford it. Unfortunately my father refused to sign the consent form - but thats another story.

I later found out that a colleague in work lived near to him and asked to be remembered to him if they ever met. At his retirement party the colleague told me he had seen Mr C (now long retired himself) a few weeks before and had passed on my message. Mr C responded that he remembered me well and was glad that I was making progress in my chosen profession. Apparently he became quite emotional and said that it was always a wonderful and humbling experience when a former pupil made it known that he had positively influenced their life.

@lifeturnsonadime, I think I might - he passed away a few years ago as far as I can tell but I think she might still be alive . I can’t get an exact address but I could send a note to the town/district and name - hopefully it would eventually land with her . If it is them - I’ve probably no way of ever actually knowing - they look a lovely, lovely couple. I had so many carers and childminders and social workers, dozens and dozens - its so lovely to actually see a photo of someone and to be able to ‘remember’ them !

Yes, there are people I think about and wonder what happened to them.

A girl at school who sat at her desk quietly trembling, I wonder if she found any self-confidence and happiness.

Two colleagues had a romance and left to run a bar on a holiday island. He was a surly bully and she was temperamental. Two people who were so ill-suited to that type of work I cannot imagine - did they succeed?

Two young lads. One was quite handsome and charming. We had little in common so drifted apart. The second had almost no conversation and our first and only date was painful. I do hope the poor lad at least learned the art of small talk.

Another colleague who both DH and I knew. He and his wife emigrated but sadly it didn't work out. They'd given up everything and had to start again. They found employment back here. We bumped into them and had a natter. Later DH said that the wife did all the talking and the man had said nothing which was very unlike him - he'd always been ready with a quip. Years later my DH fell ill and his first symptoms were loss of speech/swallow. Had our old friend got the same illness? I've tried to investigate but have found nothing.

A few others I've found on Facebook but the latter remains a mystery.

I wonder what happened to the kids from the early 00s version of 7-up with Prof Winston?

I very often wonder what happened to two really good school friends of mine. We lost touch after leaving and with our lives going in different directions, and this was in the 80s so we didn’t have mobiles and social media to stay quickly and easily in contact.

One went away to university and her family moved out of the area around the same time. I found her on Friends Reunited some years ago and excitedly sent her a message and got a very short (six words long) impersonal reply saying that she lived in London and what her job was. Last time I’d seen her we’d left on good terms so it didn’t make sense.

The other has just disappeared off the face of the earth, she’s not on social media and none of our group of friends from school have seen anything of her since the late 80s either. She was a really good friend and I met my husband through her. Again, we’d been on really good terms and the last time I saw her was when we bumped into her in a pub and ended up sitting with her and her boyfriend and having a really good time.

@AiyaNapawithmorenaps @Beeinalily
I will write to the store - it crossed by mind many times.

A lovely lady whose friend was a volunteer when I was a volunteer at an animal charity, I only knew her through her friend. She had an awful POS boyfriend who treated her in a way I cannot begin to describe and she lived in squalor because of him. She was one of the most genuine and sweet people I've ever met and she had two children with the monster boyfriend. She did leave him at one point but she returned after he promised to change.
Every single time I saw her she was wearing clothes that reeked and looked filthy, he was so controlling that she wasn't allowed to take basic care of herself. I hope she is doing better now, she didn't have anyone for support.
On a happier note, my best friends mum was so nice to me when I was a clearly abused teenager. I had one tshirt that was free from a pub when they bought promotional beers and one pair of jeans that my sister gave me, I had a bra that didn't fit and my underwear and socks had seen better days but she took me away on every caravan holiday that they went on and treated me to nice meals and a fancy new outfit, she spoiled me in the gift shops of the tourist attractions and I felt normal for those few days. Alison - I have never forgotten you and I'll be grateful for your kindness as long as I live. You made a difference

In the 80's, my great uncle lived in the U.K. with his wife and adult son but was in a job where he was stationed in the Philippines. He'd do 9 months on 3 months off. My grandad told me on one of his times off, they were shopping in M&S and my great uncle picked up baby girl clothes, saying they were for a Philippino colleague as apparently the baby clothes over there weren't very good.

Anyway at the end of that visit, great uncle told his wife that he'd met another woman in the Philippines, a local woman, they were engaged and had a daughter and he was very sorry but he was leaving her and would be living over there full timethis new fiancée apparently thought he was divorced.

His wife told her MIL, who for various reasons had some clout with great uncle's boss. The next day, he was redeployed back to the U.K., never to return to the Philippines. His mum then told him if he made contact with this other woman and baby then the whole family would cast him out and never speak to him again (she was an old twat from what I remember).

He is still with his wife and now lives in Canada. I often think of the poor fiancée in the Philippines and her baby, who fully expected him to return home and never heard from him again. The baby girl would be my age. I've often thought of getting a DNA test kit done and seeing if I can track them down, tell them what happened.

Jade Goodie (Goody?)
Baby P's "mother".
My ex. I wonder what the last months of his life was like, and also what secrets he took with him when he died.
A young woman who was married, whose hair had been hacked short by her husband. I never knew what was actually going on, if anything, but she was so accepting of the mess he used to make of it.

When I was maybe about 6-7 I had a friend at school who was a little younger than me but we would spend every break time together. She was so sweet and remember she had very blonde hair.

I remember my mum opening a national newspaper one day and seeing a photo of her with her little brother. Her mum had left them alone in the house ome night to go to the pub and their was a fire and she died along with her brother.

We walked to school a few days later and the route passed by the front of what very little was left of her house. My heart broke and nobody ever thought to help a very young me come to terms with such a humongous loss.

Nearly 40 years later I still occasionally think of the little girl with the blonde hair and pretty smile..

@Mylittlecoconuts has reminded me of a couple of girls I used to vaguely know.

Their granny used to go to our church and they'd come to visit from time to time. Their granny seemed pretty well off, the parents always seemed scruffy and ill-kempt though the kids weren't.

There was a story in the local paper about devil worship happening in the local woods and children being involved. Someone at church said it was these two girls and their parents. Whatever the truth of the matter, I never saw them again.

I think about the drunk driver who killed my sister 20 years ago. He was her casual boyfriend at the time. They use to laugh a lot over a long hot summer. We liked him.
He suffered brain damage and never recovered. I went to see him in intensive care, and then later on in care homes. He was 23.
He still lives in a care home apparently. I have very mixed feelings even now, and wonder what she’d want me to think about him.
I don’t know why she got in a car that sunny Sunday afternoon with someone who had been drinking.

I had a good friend. We met at uni, shared a house, spoke every week when we ended up.in different towns, visited lots she was someone who would talk about how she loved how we were close as she had very little family, but unfortunately she is someone who bears a grudge. I had to make a point about how much something she had said to my child had angered me and she cut off all communication. I guess she had never been as great a friend as I thought, or maybe she just hated my children. I am fairly sure I could track her down through mutual contacts, but I've never been one for pushing anyone's boundaries.

I think about her a lot, it's been a bit like a death I suppose. At first I was angry and then terribly sad. Now Its just my normal.

Mine :

1. my friend at school died of leukaemia at age 8 I always think of her. Before she fell ill, I remember at 7 laughing because she fell down a small hill. I felt guilt over that for so long, still so in a way. I'll never forget the assembly we had for her as we sang 'Suffer little children'.

2. a girl at my secondary school who was bullied. I remember trying to be nice to her but she seemed so scared and jumpy, I feel guilt that I didn't do more to help her. I often try and find her on social media.

3. my old English teacher. I fear must be dead now but I think of her a lot, I loved her, she was the best teacher.

When I was at university (in my mid 20s) I had a part time job and worked with a lovely young woman, a bit younger than me.
We got on really well, used to go out in the evening and I went to her house with my daughter a couple of times.
I left the job and I think we just lost touch - this was over 25 years ago.
She had a fiancé who she didn’t really want to marry but seemed to think she had to go through with it.
I often think about and have tried to find her on social media but never been able to.

I hope she’s happy.

In 2005, A girl who smiled sweetly and made polite conversation with me, when we woke up next to eachother in chairs after having terminations.

We left the building together and went to the garden shed they had outside for partners to sit in.

My partner was sitting there and happened to be with her partner who was making polite conversation with him.

We were both young scared Irish couples in England for the day.
We all looked liked we wanted to cry.

We all hugged and wished each other luck. Never even asked a name. I wonder how they are now.

Good idea for a thread op!

I went to 6th form college. There was a guy there on a different course to me but we hung around with the same people. I didn’t really know him well but looking back on it it’s clear we both liked each other.
We both went off to Uni and lost touch. About 2 years later we bumped into each other in town, we were home for the holidays. We wanted to exchange details but neither of us had anything to write with or on, this was long before mobile phones. It was late and all the shops were shut. We were both going back to Uni soon so couldn’t arrange to meet.
I never saw him again. I don’t even remember his name. I do wonder about what might have been.

Girl at my secondary school who was moved to our school in third year I think from her first school because of bullying.
She was small, nervous (understandably) and was instantly a favourite victim of all the nasty people in our year (we had quite a few). I was the only person who ever showed her any kindness at all. Everyone either totally blanked her or actively made her miserable.
She, quite understandably clung desperately to me trying to spend time with me and be friends. I however, was also very low in the pecking order and just about had enough friends to scrape through a day unscathed (though not always). I was also having a terrible time at home and knew that being her friend would absolutely make me a target. I was just about coping as it was. I was never nasty to her but avoided her like the plague. Her school days were terrifyingly miserable (it was a dire dark school socially). I felt dreadful, knowing how she felt (I wasn't doing much better) and seeing her desperation. Truly wanting to take her under my wing but massively fearing the consequences. She didn't last long and left again. I knew she had suffered more cruel life experiences to add to what had gone before and have often wondered if she ever found acceptance and happiness. There was nothing wrong with her, they were awful. I felt so so bad for my part in her sadness. She saw me as a possible saviour.

30 years ago when I was about 9, my mum worked in my primary school in the reception class. A little boy started, with blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes. He looked like a little cherub and was absolutely adorable and my mum had a soft spot for him (she worked with him with his reading) he used to bring her flowers and tell her he loved her.
From then all she always loved his name. When I was pregnant 20 years later and talking of names she always mentioned his name as a possibility for a boy.
I went on to have 4 girls then Unexpectedly lost my mum and then I had a boy. He has big blue eyes and a mop of blonde hair. I gave him the name by mum loved.

I wonder how he is getting on now, and how strange that my son is basically named after him. I’m sure that would creep him right out!