For Dr. Villanova ...

It was hot and humid but we had taken refuge under a large umbrella that shaded hard concrete benches. I had to keep my sunglasses on because of the glare from the surrounding structures. She only wore openness and a faint laugh lines on her face.

It had been years. Initially the dialogue was scripted and stunted, but the heat seemed to loosen up our tongues and the flow of give-and-take washed over us. The banter between two old-ish souls.

Life has been good to both of us. We've each had some subtractions but they have been overpowered by the additions. Time has been gentler to her than to me but I bet we both have the same hair color at the roots.

You hope to marry your soul mate; to find the yin for your yang. I think we both did, but there are the few other choice people that pass through your life that you always care about. You genuinely are happy for their successes or sad for their losses. These are the people who actually seem to be listening when you talk and not only hear but understand. They are the signal amongst the noise.

We were able to filter the noise for a few hours and it was nice and comforting.

We parted, vowing to not wait so long before the next time, but life seems to often get in the way as the additions multiply in our busy lives. And that's OK, because we know that there will be a next time when two old friends will sit down and talk. Peace.