Something happened tonight that I didn’t anticipate.  Nevertheless, I was prepared for the experience.

I went to the grocery story.  No, that’s not it.  Prior to going to the checkout line, I signaled for my personal driver to come drive up to the front of the store.

Okay, okay.  So he wasn’t my personal driver at all, instead he’s an Uber driver.  There.  I came clean.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, I remember.  The cashier was taking a little longer than expected to scan my coupons (I’m not remotely a coupon king).  As he scanned the last coupon, I heard the “ding” of my phone, which meant that my driver had arrived.  Hurrying out of the door, I immediately recognized a lady walking in the distance: my former wife.

[Pause.]

I mean, in real life, this type of event is common.  This was the first time we had seen or spoken to each other in over 3 years.  I had imagined and rehearsed 1,000 times what would happen when I saw her, what I would say, and even what I would wear.  Let’s just say I left a lot to be desired in the wardrobe area (Black, suede Pumas+socks that reached my shins+khaki shorts+a green literacy t-shirt=missed the mark).  I also thought that I would be much like Vince Vaughn’s character in the movie The Breakup, but there wasn’t enough time for me to get into character.

As I walked up to her, my Uber driver was also waiting at the curb.  In a span of 10 seconds, I waved to the driver, and said hello to her by giving her a hug.  A part of me wanted to stay.  And talk.  Another part was ready to return home with the groceries.  Yet, another part of me was trying to hurry so it wouldn’t cost me more for this Uber.

The 10 seconds in real life, really felt like 2 minutes.  When we saw each other, I could see that we both seemed to be quickly scanning, trying to gather new intel, if you will.  A rush of memories hit me at once.  It was one of those this is your life moments.  I readily it admit that the feeling was strange: It’s like meeting someone you knew really well, but simultaneously, not at all.

There wasn’t time for ill feelings because the sum of us were good times; It just ended, well, not so good.  Yet and still, I was genuinely happy to see her.  The encounter left me feeling a myriad of emotions, but they all spoke of my forward mobility.  Above all else, it let me know that we both had moved on, in the right direction.

Things have a way of coming around full circle, I guess.

Until Next Time,

Love & Peace

-Herbie