9:06 am : XXX-XXX-XXXX – Hey! I’m in the area. Can I stop by?
Sure, but who are you? I wondered and began to analyze the intentions behind the mystery number. Then, thoughts floated around about what would possess me to erase the number of someone who obviously had my phone number saved in their contacts. Was this friend? Foe? Acquaintance? Someone I wanted to reconnect with?
It was someone familiar to me, right? They did not bother to introduce themselves; there was an assumption I would know who they were already. Mild guilt set in. I did not have their number anymore, perhaps thinking that they would either: A) Not keep in touch B) Not live in the local area C) Some combination of both options previously stated.
Nevermind the reasons. They were here now, and it would be rude, simply ill-mannered, to ignore them.
9:08 am – Yes, I work in the _______ department. We are located at _______. I apologize if I have to be rather formal and brief, but it would be nice to see you.
A faint flicker of epinephrine flowed easily through my circulatory system. Heart rate quickened. Who had I disclosed my workplace address to? Would they detect the feigned eager tone of the message?
10:00 am – Excellent! I am walking down the street now. See you in a few.
A co-worker joked, “At least we have a security system in place.”
Well, true, but there was no undertone of malice. Innately, I felt encompassing trust and benevolence permeated within the number. It was not an uncommon area code. It was someone I had a relationship with, someone who I had known for quite awhile, and had thought kindly enough of our friendship to visit me.
“Don’t worry,” I said easily, “It’s no one dangerous. Someone who is probably networking locally, but has been away for awhile.”
Innumerable friends traveled across the country and world in a relatively short span of time since we graduated. Barcelona. Portland. San Francisco. Brazil. Louisiana. Georgia. Maryland. I was lucky or entrapped enough to find a full-time position in the sprawling expanse around us.
She walked in with a bright smile. Yes, it was someone I had known quite well.
“Tell me,” I grinned back at her, “How’s Boston?!”
