Random Connect

September 25, 2008

Random Connect

So back in 1996 or so I was spending the summer out on Block Island, and got to know a random dude who was out there for his first summer, guy who called himself "Doc". No idea what his real name was or what he was doing out there, but we got to be buddies because (A) he had the same year CJ7 as me, only with a rope around the front bumper, and (B) one day when me and Kriegel kicked off a massive all-town water battle with most people on the island under 25, Doc got really into it, rigging up a waterballoon launcher on the rollbar of his Jeep.

Anyway, turns out back then Doc spent a good two weeks hitting on this chick Jessica at the Block Island Grocery, but as the girl had just gotten dumped recently she blew him off. So he focused his efforts instead on another new girl to the island named Mona, and he and Mona ended up dating for a few months.

And then Big Dave happened. Big Dave -- known as such because he was both named Dave and pretty big -- was one of my best friends at the time; we'd spent most of the prior three summers driving around listening to s#%&y music and getting into trouble together. And though I didn't know it at the time, Dave was also doing... certain things with and to Doc's girl Mona that Doc really wasn't happy about when he found out.

From what I remember when Doc found out he went into a fit, caused a huge scene downtown, and while he didn't want to fight Dave, he did quit his job and leave the island. Coincidentally, Big Dave is also the guy in the "Sara's Wedding" post just beneath this one who's wearing sunglasses and looking big. He was actually at the wedding this past Sunday with his wife Mona (yeah, they got married) -- they'd just left their three-year-old daughter at home with the sitter. As for Doc, after he left I knew heard anything about the guy again.

Until three nights ago. I'm sitting at home checking the Sox score when Isaac IMs me with a link to a post in the "Missed Connections" section on Craigslist.

For those not in the know, apparently Missed Connections is a place on Craigslist where people write things like "Hi there! You were the girl in the red 'Make-A-Wish' t-shirt who got off the Red Line at Park Street yesterday, I was the guy standing behind you for three stops just silently checking out your a#%, let me know if you felt the spark I'm sure was there!"

Anyway, here's the post Isaac sent (click to enlarge):

So I email the girl who posted it, turns out it was written by the same Jessica, Doc's first choice from the Block Island grocery store back in the day, the one who'd turned him down before he went for Mona. She's somehow realized ten years later that Doc was "The One" and has posted the same listing in 40 different cities in the US looking for the guy.

Also turns out she's already found him. Someone had already read the post, recognized the name, and gotten her in touch with him, and they're apparently now scheduled to meet up. Alls ended wells.

God damn if the internet doesn't just continue to kick ass.

And Big Dave? Well, he's gotta live with Mona now. Forever.

Posted at 12:24 PM in Block Island, Jeeps | Permalink

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Comments

So, why is he named Doc? Inquiring minds, man.

Posted by: Internet Buddy | September 25, 2008 at 12:42 PM

To this day I have no clue. Turns out his real name was "Matt", though. Which is roughly as cool as "David Webb".

Posted by: Charles Ballard | September 25, 2008 at 12:51 PM

Wow. That was a really cool sequence of events. Nice post.

Posted by: bit shuffler | September 29, 2008 at 01:00 PM

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