Thursday, December 20, 2007

Darlene has been found

She has been found.

She has been thanked, for all that She did, for all that She was.

Rarely in life is one given such a chance, to fulfill such a dream, a simple but yet challenging dream, after 20-plus years.

I wanted Her to know that She is, and always will be, remembered as an angel, as a Goddess indeed who deigned to smile at a silly, awkward, foolish mortal boy -- to talk to me, to befriend me, even to take me up in Her "chariot" one blissful day.

Burned into my memory is virtually every detail of that event: Her parking spot in front of the big banyan tree, one space over from the left, behind the art building, the sun upon me bright and strong, the Debbie Gibson song that played as She turned on the ignition, Her request of me as we drove away to hand Her Her cigarettes from Her purse, my clumsy, shaking hands that dropped them on the floor, the sweet smoky perfume that filled that car as Her cigarette burned and Her lips spilled Her exhales, my inane attempts at conversation, during which I asked like some kind of moron school counselor what She planned to do with Her future, Her gentle, patient response that She wanted to be a nurse, and so on, and so on.

Darlene was and is and always will be a Lady, a fine, fine Lady indeed.

10 comments:

StayAtHomeKat said...

a perfect circle has been completed and you must be feeling atop the world :-) congratualations for the opportunity you had and took!

Eastcoastdweller said...

Now, Kat, we need to find Paul!

StayAtHomeKat said...

OK!

and here is a Christmas present for you

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Congrats! You must feel wonderful. What a wonderful Christmas time present! I am so happy for you. Good on you, ecd!

StayAtHomeKat said...

I think I will use the shortened 'congrats' from now on myself :-o so as not to rankle ecd's grammatical nerves

Eastcoastdweller said...

My nerves (along with the rest of me) are now officially on Christmas break, sweet Kat, for nearly two delicious weeks, so no worries. No worries anyway, as You have yet to get on them and it is entirely possible that You are incapable of doing so.

So congrats or congratualations or salutations or whatever, it's all good.

BraveHeart said...

cool!
another good thing about the internet and technology, it helps find people.

Eastcoastdweller said...

It certainly does, Ela. I wonder now if I could find my long-lost best friend from third grade or my best bud from high school.

I've always been lousy at keeping up with friends.

Rebecca said...

That is great news!

BraveHeart said...

I hope your enthusiams and love for life remains unchanged in the New Year 2008!
I wish for you and your loved the best.

Ela