The Lost is Found

I knew that it must be her. It looked just like her! But how could it be? That was a young woman walking into the New Morning Bakery, possibly someone in her thirties. Her hair was exactly as it had been in 1974 and so..I wasn't sure. We had emailed about where to meet, and it was still a little early.

But then I thought, "If it is her, well then that's just not fair. How can someone still be beautiful after all this time??"

I grabbed the keys, got out of the car, and walked through the door. There sat the girl I had seen, and it was as if we were back in our old college days. Nothing had changed, and we were just meeting for another 10 cent cup of coffee. She smiled. I smiled. And it felt overwhelming.

"I can't believe it's you!" I cried. "I wondered who on earth that young woman was.."

"And you! You haven't changed a bit!" said she. Several people noticed and looked at us but did we care? We laughed a lot and cried a little, and needless to say, it was ages before we could even think of ordering. Our words came tumbling out, of how we had been in college together, been married after college, had children (two each), and then - something. I had lost her, lost touch with her, traveled our military world and not found her again. And then miraculously, someone had sent me her email address, and I found the lost once more.

Eventually we did order, and did choose yummy things (their cinnamon twists are to die for). Down to the river we walked, balancing the cinnamon twist, the macaroon cookie, and our cups of coffee (she helping to arrange my knife and butter in the way she always had done). The hour that followed? Sweet.

Have you ever lost a person and then found them again years later? In the age of tech, it should be getting easier to find these vanished ones, and well worth the effort. What is even better is to never have lost them in the first place. 

The strangest thing was how quickly those lost years seemed to vanish, how time ceased really to matter. But one thing became certain: I may be a thousand miles away but I am certainly not going to lose her again. 


See you along the way!
the SconeLady