Old sparks rekindled through the internet

By Trevor Davis

The introduction of social networking sites has revolutionised friendships and dating. In years past, old flames that you had fallen out of touch with would remain out of reach, but now it is possible to track them down with just a few clicks of the mouse, so long as they are signed up to the same site as you of course.

Hearing about the activities of people you last saw years ago at primary school is a fascinating if unnerving experience. When you hear that the kid who was only memorable for his love of peanut butter and jam sandwiches is now running an internet marketing firm, you feel that this is possibly not such a good idea. These discoveries often lead to a sense of a loss of continuity and suggest that should you ever meet again, it would be more like being introduced to a completely new person than an old friend.

Which is why meeting up with Katie again after 15 years was such a remarkable experience. Being one of only 30 people in our year, most people had had a string of "boyfriends" and "girlfriends" or people they fancied by the time we all left at the age of 11. I can't really remember why I liked Katie, apart from the fact that she was a girl, and goodness knows why she thought it would be fun to kiss me behind the bushes.

Still, after exchanging emails for a couple of weeks she suggested we meet up for a drink after work. Unusually, when it comes to things like this, I was more excited than nervous. I didn't recognise her but she recognised me. "You look exactly the same," she said as we embraced. "You look completely different," I replied. And, as I had suspected, it was for the most part like meeting a totally new person. She told me about her work, her holidays, her time at secondary school, which was a lot to take in considering the last time I had seen her we had been playing twister in the school hall. But just occasionally, something reminded me of the way things used to me. Especially when she accidentally booted my shins under the table.

She agreed with me that while the internet helped bring old friends together, it was no substitute for actually meeting them in person. That was two months ago and we have been seeing quite a lot of each other, and we have even kissed, although we didn't require the cover of any foliage to do so this time.