I was kidding around with a guy at work last night. I first saw him in one area and said hello. Moments later, he was in another area as I passed through. I told him he had a twin that I had just met. He laughed, as did I, and then I told him it might be a doppleganger, so he'd better be careful. This guy didn't know what I meant, so I explained that a doppleganger is an old German myth about your exact double and to see one means either bad luck or that you will soon die. I then shared my own experience on the matter.
Back in the mid 70's, when I was a young man, I kept being told by friends that they would see me somewhere in town and that I wouldn't speak to them. My girlfriend even got mad at me because someone told her they'd seen me with another girl in my car. My girlfriend was a brunette, while the girl seen was a blonde. Around a week later, I drove over to the university after work to pick up my girlfriend in the regular spot we'd agreed upon. When I arrived, she looked into my car for a long moment before opening the door and getting in. I asked her what was wrong because she kept looking at me in an odd way. She told me that a few minutes earlier my car had driven up, she got in and leaned over to give me a kiss... then realized from the guy's shocked look that it wasn't me. She jumped out of the car and watched him drive up another half a block and pick up a blonde-haired girl! I thought she was kidding me, but I eventually let it go. I didn't think more about it until a week later, when I received a phone call from my Mother.
My Mother worked at the local mall at that time, and occasionally I would stop in to talk with her. The reason she called was to tell me, with great excitement, how she had been working near the front of the store when she thought she saw me standing outside the store. She called me by name a couple of times, then walked towards me. About three feet away from this guy, she realized it wasn't me. The reason she called was to tell me, or rather warn me about the old doppleganger myth.
After a couple more weeks of these sightings, I went back to the university and waited in my parked car around the time I usually picked up my girlfriend. After a couple of days doing this, I was rewarded with seeing a car exactly like mine pull up and pick up a blonde girl. I followed them off campus and found the house he lived in. I went around the block, then pulled over and sat there, wondering if I should go up and knock on his door.
I'm not really a strongly superstitious guy, but the thoughts of my Mother's warning kept saying no, so eventually I drove off and never went back.
Three months later the school year was over and no one reported seeing this guy again. I drove past the house where he had lived, but another car was parked outside.
I told the guy I was talking to all of this and he kind of looked at me like I was making it up, so I just walked away.
I swear it's the truth. Guess Ill never know for sure, but it's one of those memories that can give one the "willies" if you think about it long enough.
Just thought everyone might appreciate a little eerie story on a Thursday afternoon.
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