LOL- sad, but still LOL

I went with my mother to Pizza Hut yesterday ( her choice) and there was a woman working behind the counter. If I had to guess her age, it would have been--- the mid fifties.
Anyway, she looks at me as if recognizing me from somewhere. I'm guessing she was maybe a teacher who might have lost her job and had to resort to making pizzas for a living, then she says:

"Alieux, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me."  I  listen to her voice. I study her eyes, and hear and see nothing of familiarity.
" I'm Yvette Lewis, do you remember me?"
"Were you a teacher of mine , from junior high or high school?"
"You still got jokes,"  she say's laughing. "You were always funny, even back in high school."
I do not remember her. I'm trying to, but. I stare at at her eyes, I listen to her voice, and-- nothing. nada. zilch. "Remember, we worked at Ponderosa together. You were the dishwasher and I was a waitress. I quit and got a job at Pizza Hut." 
OMG that was in my sophomore year of high school. She must know me.
"Of course I remember," I lied to her. I flashed the type of smile one would display upon remembering  something that was pleasant. But the smile was fake. "Long time no see. How've you been?"
I do recall a Yvette Lewis, but the one I knew was tall, had big beautiful brown almond shaped eyes had a nice set of breasts, a small waist, a nice shapely bottom, smooth cocoa brown skin and thick black hair that was always braided down her back-real hair. She was way out of my league, and since her boyfriends were always stars of the basketball and football team, I never even tried to date her.  I just felt lucky to be her friend, even though I guessed that she was nice because I helped her with her Grammar and Math.  I did once ask her out, the last week I lived in Racine Wisconsin before attending college in Tennessee, but she laughed and told me I was  cute...This Yvette Lewis-hunched over, one eye partially closed, her hair a thin afro about half an inch short, her body like a bag of fists trying to punch their way out- did not look like the Yvette Lewis I knew.
Since I was holding up the line, she suggested we be seated and she find me and we would catch up. After I talked to my mom about life perhaps having been tough on her, she stops by our table to continue the conversation;
"So, last time we spoke, you were going to Tennessee."
"Yes, I went to Lincoln Memorial University. It was in Harrogate, about 70 miles northwest of Knoxville."
"Cool, cool, did you move back here?"
I had the worst childhood memories of living in Racine. If my mother didn't live there, I'd never go back there again.
"No. I ran from Racine, that summer, in 1980. and never looked back. I live in Oregon."
"Oregon City?"
"No, I live in the state of Oregon. I'm an underwriter for an insurance company there."
"You always were the smart one. Smart and funny."

Then she says something to me that was the saddest thing I heard--that day. Yet it was funny too:
"I've been here at Pizza Hut since high school. And I made manager just last week!"  She spoke proudly of her achievement.

My mouth opened, my eyes widened, I didn't know what to say. I looked at my mother. I thought of saying 'congratulations' but decided I couldn't say it without sounding condescending, so I said nothing. My mother shook her head in utter disappointment.