a new old friend (lyn)

When I was pregnant, I attended meetings hosted by a group called Single Mothers by Choice.  I remember laughing silently at the name, thinking most women would prefer to be Married Mothers by Choice.  

Attendees were divided into groups:  Thinking, Trying, Pregnant, and Mothering.  I was in the Pregnant Group.  There I met Kathy who was pregnant by, “A famous guy I can’t reveal,” (later disclosed as Spalding Gray who really wasn’t that famous at the time) and Linda.

Linda and I became friends, meeting in the Park in all kinds of weather, sharing our son’s birthdays, and exchanging tips on motherhood.   

Alexander and Sam at Sam's 1year birthday, October 1993

At Alexander's 2nd Birthday, November 1994

Linda ended up marrying Sam’s dad, in a beautiful ceremony I attended at Central Park’s Boathouse.  A couple of years after Sam was born, Linda had another son, and soon after moved with her husband to New Jersey.  We kept in touch for a while but eventually life took over.  A few years ago we became Facebook friends, but still, rarely communicated.

When I started playing Words With Friends a few months ago, Linda became one of my fiercest and most challenging competitors.  Tonight we are meeting for dinner.

I feel like I am going on a blind date.  It’s been about 14 years since we’ve seen each other.  I’m nervous about how she will look and nervous about how I will look to her.

I arrive a few minutes before Linda.  We are meeting at a small Belgium restaurant downtown called Petite Abeille.  It’s the perfect place, and the weather complies.  Low 70’s, no humidity.  I choose a seat outside.

Linda walks in and looks better than I remember her looking years ago.  Her hair is stylishly wavy, she’s fit and slim, and her skin glows (she doesn’t have the blotchy bumpy spots that I have on my chest). 

We spend a few minutes catching up over a glass of wine.  She’s been divorced for ages but still has a friendly relationship with her ex, plans to move back to New York within two years, loves her job, has two great sons witht entirely different temperaments, and is still embarrassed by having Jersey plates. 

We both get salmon burgers with fries, but don’t really notice the food.  Without exaggeration, it’s like we'd gotten together yesterday.  Linda’s heart never left New York (where she still works).  Soon she'll be back in the city, where casual dinners and movies will no longer be an event.  I can't wait.