I saw her on a Hotmail banner ad for Date.com, and instantly it triggered the faint echo of a memory. I knew this girl. Where had I seen her before? Had I met her? Was she a passing face on the Metro? A neighbor in my building or an old classmate at MICA?

Then I saw her again. As I browsed the shelves at the corner CVS Pharmacy, her face appeared before me, smiling that same young, mysterious, creamy-skinned, wrinkle-free smile.

Not only is it the same girl, but it’s the same stock photo of her, just flipped horizontally.