Andrea was waiting for her husband Danny outside a New York City skyscraper. He was visiting his dentist inside the building for a routine appointment. The waiting area was small and uncomfortable. She preferred sitting on a bench outdoors, watching traffic and people go by.
“Andrea?” She heard a man saying her name. She looked up and saw Vic, a guy she had dated in college 30 years before and 1,200 miles away. He looked much the same as he did then.
Even though she had not thought of Vic in years, she remembered him fondly. They’d had fun together, both realizing all along this would be a short term. casual encounter. It ended at graduation. He went to grad school in California; she got a decent job in New England. Their lack of romance let them part amicably. They had not stayed in touch.
Andrea said, “Hello, Vic, It’s good to see you.”
She didn’t know what else to say. How do you fill in the blanks of a whole 30 years of life while on a city street? Neither one of them tried. They exchanged email addresses and cellphone numbers knowing they wouldn’t be used. They gave each other half-hugs before Vic continued on his way.
Andrea had never mentioned Vic to Danny. There was no reason to, as she had met Danny five years after finishing college.
The coincidence of seeing someone she knew on a busy New York street was amazing. She had to say something. She would tell Danny she ran into an old college friend she had no idea was in New York and nothing more.
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