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About two years ago, my fiancee (now wife) was invited to a party her coworker was having in Roslyn, Virginia. Even though it snowed just before we kept our promise to attend.
Once we found the place we looked for parking, which was a good distance away. Stepping out into the frigid air, I noticed a photo on the ground. This is that photo.
Because I found this photo particularly ironic since I was bundled up and freezing to death, I tossed it into the car instead of back on the ground. I thought about posting the photo to my site, leftsider, or to craigslist to find the owner.
But I forgot and a week later, to remind myself, put the pic on our refrigerator. A few people noted the absence of females in the picture and had a few jokes at this poor soul's expense. As a result of one of those jokes, his name became "Ben."
Ben stayed on my fridge for a year. I left with my new bride for a 1-year assignment to South Korea. One week later, my roomate died. All my stuff I had left was either thrown away, given away, or lost, save a few choice things my father managed to retreive.
I thought about Ben once, but only because I was thinking about the fun times with my deceased roommate. I wished I had actually done what I had intended for Ben, or whoever took this fabulous picture of him.
Today, I've been back in the US for a month or so. My wife went through some containers of crap we had yet to sort and, lo and behold, there was Ben. She put him on my laptop, where she knew I'd see him as soon as I got home.
I couldn't stop smiling.
So, internet, this is Ben. I don't know Ben, but he's on my fridge right now. If you know Ben, tell him I've got his picture, and that I'd love to give it to him. If you don't know Ben, ask someone if they do--particularly if they live(d) near Roslyn Metro.
I think if I ever meet Ben and return this photo, it may be a bit awkward. There's a lot that has changed in my life since that frozen night, and this pic embodies a lot of memories. But it's something that I said I'd do, and I feel that it would bring some happiness and closure to the whole deal.
I'm hoping the internet will do it's magic for me and find Ben. Flickr seems like a good place to start.
