A Case of Mistaken Identity
It’s a funny way that the mind works. Today on the bus, trying to take my thoughts off the mind-numbing annoyance that is transit in the Lower Mainland, my brain farted up the memory of an email I received just after New Year’s 2000. The letter was from a kid in Egypt, and the subject was a case of mistaken identity.
The letter went something like this:
Dear Mr. Brendan,
I’m not making this a formal letter, cuz you’re a cool actor. I love the way you act, and I only watched one movie of yours, which is Encino Man. I loved it! My name is Ramy Mohamed Al-Reedy. I’m a 13 year old boy, living in Kuwait, but i’m egyptian. I study at the Gulf English School.
Looking forward to your reply,
Ramy
It was cute, but sort of sad. Obviously Ramy had found me by entering “Brendon” (misspelling the actor’s name) and “Fraser” (part of the name of my university, Simon Fraser University) into a search engine. Presto! He found my web site. At the time I received the message, I was still in Anguilla, a tiny island with few people and fewer things to keep me entertained while working on HushMail. It was a moment of entertainment, for sure, but also a little sad.
With heavy heart, I responded to Ramy to explain what had happened. No Virginia, there is no Santa Clause. No Ramy, I am not Brendan Fraser.
In some ways I wish I could have brought myself to lie, to propagate a child’s belief that they can reach out to anyone and that the Internet removes all barriers to communication. So if Brendan Fraser or his agent is out there, drop me a line. I still have Ramy’s email address, and I’m sure he’d be more than glad to hear from you, even after all this time.
Hello there,
I was just sitting doing nothing one day, and I don’t know what made me go to some search site, and I typed my name in the search box. I got a few results, but one result actually had my full name in it. That result was this page I’m in now…
I read that little blog from you, and wow!! I can’t describe how I felt. I was that little kid back then. It’s me Ramy Al-Reedy, from Egypt, and so on.
As I was reading your blog, I was amazed. I don’t know who you are, I haven’t even looked at the rest of the website. (I promise I will after I finish writing this reply.) But the point is, knowing that someone out there once got an email from a little kid by mistake, and that this incident turned into a memory to him, this is something that put a big smile on my face. Maybe a smile which I needed at this point of time, and out of no where, undescribably (if spelt correctly) this happened.
I know that this little blog, is little to you, but it means a lot to me, that you were giving a shout to the actor or his agents, just to make the little kid smile.
I read that this incident made you feel sad. Don’t be sad my friend, in fact you made my day. Maybe this actor today means nothing to me, but you’re someone I look forward to get intouch with.
I have no idea about the date you wrote this blog, but I sure hope that somehow, someday you get this reply.
Looking forward for you precious reply.
Yours sincerely,
That little kid.