Sorry, I don't know you.

Waving at someone who you think you know but don't is a normal occurrence. It is embarassing, rattling, and always upsetting, and it will continue to happen for as long as people populate the earth. I unfortunately have developed the habit of exagerrating my movements when I wave at people. I swing both arms over my head like I'm trying to signal an entire fleet of fighter jets, and I jump up and down yelling, "HEY! OVER HERE! IT'S ME!" Most people find this funny; that is, unless they do not know me. Then they just think I'm a creep.
They are correct in this assumption.
Today I pulled perhaps one of the worst exagerrated-wave-and-yell maneuvers ever. Upon seeing someone who I thought was my friend Michael (honestly, how many boys wear periwinkle polo shirts carrying around styrofoam cups looking dazed and mumbling to themselves in a thick southern accent? Well, a lot, but still...he had an aura), I began jumping up and down. I don't get to see him very often. This was exciting. As I bounced around I thought to myself, "Why isn't he looking over here? We hardly ever run into each other!" so I just yelled louder. And louder. Mainly all I said was, "OVER HERE!!!! HIIIII!!!!! MIKE!!!!!!" Still no response. He seemed to be glancing at me and then looking off in the distance. Maybe he was talking to someone behind me. I figured I'd save him the time of walking over to me and bounded up to him with great joy and jumped up and hugged him. He didn't hug me back. When I finally pulled away to look at him, I managed to have the presence of mind not to go SILLY BILLY and squeeze his cheeks or something, because this boy was not in fact Michael. He was someone entirely different, with different colored hair and eyes.
I just stared at him and then said, "I don't know you." and he said "no you don't." I then told him he was a nice hugger and quickly backed away with my eyes cast downward.
I am not embarassed easily. I have no problem with public speaking and if someone brings up something idiotic I've done in the past (as they very well may do 5 years from now when recounting this experience), I do not feel any shame. Blushing is not my thing. But today, I blushed. And then I hid in the bathroom for a long time before calling my friend so I could re-enact everything with great vigor.
This was not a good thing that happened today. What may have made it worse was the people behind me sniggering and making remarks about how I'm stupid and also clueless. SHUT UP, PEOPLE. You do it, too.