old friends

Yesterday I was tired and out of sorts after I finished teaching. There was a lot of drama in my department, and it exhausts me. So I was looking forward to getting home and relaxing. I was planning to see M who is an old friend; we met ten years ago or so, and while we have never lived in the same place, we have maintained a very warm friendship. He is a great guy, sweet, generous, charming, caring, what one hopes for in a friend. And since he grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, he has the kind of charming southern accent that always gets me. But I have to say that my bad mood made me almost regret that I had made plans with him. When he arrived, though, bringing me these tulips, my mood changed completely. Seeing an old friend, someone you can trust, someone you enjoy, is a wonderful thing. I had not seen him in two years, when he and his partner were up from Miami on one of their annual trips to NYC. Last year they didn't come. But when I saw M, it was as if we had just seen each other yesterday.