The Blink of An Eye

She looked around frantically scanning the crowd for his face. He said he would be there. She looked back and forth expectantly until finally... there. To the left and back four or five people. He was scanning back looking just as frantic as she felt. Their eyes met and smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously as they realized the person they'd been searching for was there in front of them searching too. He pushed through the crowd and grabbed her in a headlock and gave her head a good rubbing before letting her go and wrapping her in a giant bear hug. Two years is a long time to go without seeing your best friend. Life happpened to both of them and soon it was two years and several letters later and here they were... like nothing had changed at all and not a day had gone by. She'd dreamt of this day every day of those two years and couldn't believe it was actually there in front of her. It had seemed like an eternity and in a way it had been. Standing there in his arms she was grateful that it was in that moment with him to hold her up that she truly understood just how much she had missed him while he'd been gone. She wondered if he felt her knees give out. She sent a silent prayer heavenward that this moment would last another eternity.

His heart jumped as he met her eyes and felt her smile reach him from across all those people. How was it that she hadn't changed one bit since he'd left? Sure, her physical appearance had been altered slightly by time but looking into those eyes he knew in her soul she was the same.... better than before but familiar and old at the same time. It felt like it took an eternity to push his way through the crowd to get to her. Two years was a long time to be away from your best friend and he'd missed her every day of that two years. He had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't another one of his dreams tricking him into believing that he got to have her in his life again. So many times varations of this scene had played out in his subconcious mind... but he'd always found himself looking up at the ceiling just before he reached her. Afraid this would meet the same end he had to smile when he felt the pain of his action reach his cerebral cortex. She was really there wanting to see him as much and he wanted to see her. He grabbed her and wrapped her in the biggest bear hug he could muster. He felt her knees buckle and sent a silent prayer heavenward that she wouldn't feel the tear drop on her shoulder. He'd missed her so much. Holding her their in his arms he hoped this moment would last a little longer than usual.

Stepping back they looked into each other's faces and saw the tears forming in each other's eyes. They chuckled at this moment they were in, grateful to again be sharing it face to face. Another hug, tear, and chuckle and they were on their way away from the crowd. As they walked they both let the cups of their lives spill into one another's sharing experiences and memories from the years apart. And it was like he'd never left. Talking about all this time apart and yet it felt like yesterday that they were shooting hoops talking about his departure. He'd been nervous and a bit apprehensive about the journey. She'd been heartbroken and lonely already. He shot and missed. She shot and scored. They blinked. And there they were playing pool and picking up right where they'd left off. Two years was a long time to miss your best friend. It had been an eternity and the blink of an eye. And now it was over. He shot and missed. She shot and scored. They blinked.