While at a shopping center recently, I ran into an old friend- who I hadn't seen in near twenty years. I heard someone call me by my first & maiden last name...
I turned to find none other than A.B. standing - he'd parked next to my vehicle- in the parking lot.

(I was glad that I'd not "matured" beyond recognition.)
He, wearing MUCH shorter hair, it took me a moment to recognize. Anyway, he was with a woman; he did the introduction thing & she was his wife. We stood in the parking lot for about half an hour- getting caught up.

I remembered A. as being a little bit of a bad boy...
a real partier, always looking for adventure- one of those people who lived on the edge. He told me that about 15 years ago, he'd been involved in a serious motorcycle accident and was hospitalized for quite a period of time. Dejavu, in 1979, his older brother all of 22 years old was killed in a motorcycle accident. For whatever reason, my thoughts went to Mrs. B. (their mother)... thinking what that poor woman must have been going through, as a mother.


Onward... turns out that A's wife was one of the nurses assigned to his care. Once he'd been discharged from the hospital, they kept in touch. She'd invited him to attend church services which he resisted for months. Then one day, he told me, annihilated & with a "bag" in his pocket, he was moved to show up at the church. He said that something happened that day, that changed his outlook on life & he cleaned up his life. Married "the gal" & now they both work in addiction services.

We, he & I AND his wife & I, exchanged hugs and went about our lives. I felt joy at learning how his life turned out... ...