It was wonderful to see you this morning! And, I could see in your eyes that you recognized me as well. How many years has it been? Twenty? Oh, my goodness, no! Forty, maybe! What a surprise!

You look good! You didn’t have a shirt on, so I’m sure you weren’t teaching. Is it the weekend, maybe? Are you waiting for Rick and Mary to arrive from Song Khlaa? Are the four of you heading over to Laam Sing? You know, I can’t even remember how you get there. I remember one time Mary hitched us a ride back to the college on a big old flatbed rig, but that was only that  once. How do you go? Rot Song Thao? Duk duk? No, it’s too far for duk duk.

You know, the timing couldn’t have been better! I had planned on doing some surf fishing at the Boynton Beach Inlet this morning, but I didn’t feel good about things. Uneasy, I guess. I wasn’t going to go. But, after I saw you, I felt better! I went, and I’m glad I did because I had a pretty good time! It’s not as good as Laam Sing, and it doesn’t have a stream there emptying into the ocean – Jesus, I loved that! – but, it was good to look at the sun rising between and behind the clouds, and the waves felt good breaking against my thighs; healing like.

It’s funny how these things happen. There I was, stretching my mouth to get up closer to my mustache with my electric shaver. The mustache shifts a little and lifts up – I’ve been thinking it’s probably too long! – and I think I recognize your mouth. I look up and refocus, and there are your eyes, staring straight into mine, like you’re looking into my soul, like I’m held there, frozen, like I couldn’t stop you if I had wanted to.

Boy! Everything was so fast! I turned off the razor and looked back, but you were already gone! That fast! I looked again a little later as I buttoned my shirt and straightened my belt buckle, but I didn’t see hide nor hair of you, like you had never even been there.

So, how does this work? Did you seek me out to see how things would turn out? Or, were you whisked away here by some supernatural force, or, maybe you were daydreaming…. Who knows; and you’re not going to tell me, because you’re long gone.

So, anyway, I’m alive and kicking, as you could see. And, look, I’ll be here for maybe another twenty years, if I’m lucky. So, look me up if you can and you have the time. I’d love to see you again. Maybe spend some time. Send my regards to Elaine, and to Rick and Mary if you see them this weekend. Tell them all I’ve been thinking of them.

And you, you take care. You won’t always, I happen to know, but you’ll get through those rough spots. That’s what I would have gotten around to telling you, had we the time. Maybe you could have sidestepped those problems even. I wonder if you’d have listened to me. Or, maybe you saw more than I think you did. That would be great!