Monday, July 9, 2012

I said what?

Years ago, in high school, i had a friend who lived nearby. I would walk between his home and another friend's to visit my gram. I loved that boy, recognized some angst about his family, respected his need to be friends yet separate from "the gang", and learned to love his mum and sisters. I've thought about him over the years, even searched mildly to see where he'd landed, but never heard a word. Today I walked into a store (escaping refinishing walls in my living room for a spell) and he called my name, hurried over to see me. He had to tell me his name, but knew me from a photo a classmate had shared (another story). He introduced me to his wife and filled me in on his life of the last few decades. Near the end of our chat my friend referenced a conversation we'd had and led me to believe that it had impacted his life choices. i don't recall that conversation beyond a vague memory that might have been. I was awed by the effect i'd apparently had on him. Glad, grateful he'd shared it, and bemused that I'd taken an entirely different route myself. I'm still trying to adjust to living alone, even after 11.75 months, and for some reason this chat touched me. It's gratifying that a conversation occurring over 30 yrs ago was still recalled as a blessing by someone i called Friend. I'm not sure we'll ever meet again, but I'm glad we met today.