Unspoken Web of 2004

In the year 2004, a dear friend of mine chose to expose their true self on the internet. And by “expose,” I mean they bared it all.

Curiously, they remained unaware of my knowledge of their revelation, and the means by which I came to possess this knowledge are not worthy of discussion.

It soon dawned on me that engaging in ordinary conversation with them had become a formidable task. My thoughts were incessantly preoccupied by their online pursuits.

A few years later, we gathered at our habitual pub, immersed in our usual banter. In the midst of it all, my friend produced a newspaper and proceeded to elucidate a tale about a comedian caught misbehaving in ancient Rome.

In that very moment, I locked eyes with my friend and couldn’t resist a wry grin. Alas, we have not crossed paths since that fateful encounter.