My friend Sandra and I meet for breakfast or lunch, or sometimes afternoon coffee, every 3 to 4 weeks. We talk about family, Moms (her mom is 90, mine is 102), clubs we belong to, fundraising, community, whatever comes to mind. We keep it fun and casual. Sometimes I am late, sometimes she is late. It doesn’t matter. Then there was today.
We stared scheduling our meet-up today two weeks ago by text. Text messages in italics
Sandra, Friday, March 13, 2:35 p.m. – Hey girlfriend – I haven’t heard from you. I’ll be out most of next week but let’s make a lunch date the week of Mar 30.
Victoria, 4:54 p.m. – Good. In San Jose now. V Time passed, I came home and sent a message.
Victoria, Wednesday, March 18, 8:36 a.m. – Thurs or Fri. Breakfast or lunch? Then I reread Sandra’s message and realized she might be out of town all this week.
Victoria, 8:14 p.m. – Oooops, reread your post. You are out of town. Week of 30th is good. Vj
Sandra, Wednesday, March 25, 12:19 p.m. – How about breakfast tomorrow?
Victoria, 12:20 p.m. – 9, 9:30?
Sandra, 12:20 p.m. – 9am, Mimi’s or Ruby’s or somewhere else?
Victoria, 12:21 p.m. – 9 it is. Ruby’s is quiet. V
Sandra, 1:00 p.m. – Ok see you there tomorrow at 9am.
I get up this morning, get dressed, leave the house, go to the restaurant about a mile away, and wait. I’m a little early. I chit chat with another woman who is also waiting. 9:00 a.m. My brain is sending me “are you sure” signals. I begin to think. Mimi’s or Ruby’s? Mimi’s or Ruby’s? Mimi’s or Ruby’s? Ruby’s! We were to meet at Ruby’s. RATS! I’m at Mimi’s. But, I can see Ruby’s just across the parking lot, and it is only a couple of minutes after 9. I get in the car, drive to Ruby’s. While I’m driving I get a text message. I can hear the chimes but don’t pick up the phone to look. I’ll check it while I’m inside.
At 9:05 a.m. this morning Ruby’s isn’t very busy. I look around. No Sandra. I say, “table for 2, I’m meeting a girlfriend”. The waitress says, “there was a gal here but she just left very quickly”. I check the phone.
Sandra, 9:04 a.m. – I totally messed up. I have to be on a CONF call. I am in front of the restaurant.
Sandra, 9:17 a.m. – I am so sorry!!!!!
Victoria, 9:30 a.m. – No problem. Text when you leave home.
Somewhere between 9:08 and 9:17 I head to the post office and the local craft store for the errands, then back to the shopping center. I debate going into CVS or Target “just to look” and decide that I will end up buying things I didn’t know I wanted or needed until I saw them on the shelf. By the 9:30 a.m. post I am sitting in a shady spot in the parking lot reading Facebook posts, and leaving messages with other Board members for the East Whittier Arts Education Foundation Donor Dinner on May 1 because I know that if I drive home I’ll get involved in some project and completely lose track of time.
Sandra, 10:02 a.m. – Ok. Leaving now. Back to restaurant.
Victoria, 10:02 a.m. – K I park at Ruby’s. Enter. The place is pretty full. Get a table and order coffee.
Sandra, 10:12 a.m. – I am here r u in restaurant
Victoria, 10:13 a.m. – Ruby’s
Sandra, 10:14 a.m. – Yes
Victoria, 10:14 a.m. – yes, inside having coffee. I wait and soon Sandra walks into Ruby’s. I toast her with a cup of coffee and we laugh and hug. But that isn’t the end.
When Sandra raced home to get on the conference call she had tried to log in on her cell phone but, as such things happen, she didn’t have all the log-in information with her. Slightly breathless she raced to the home phone and called. “I’m here”. She is met with profuse apologies from the client. They had forgotten to include her on the call. Sandra works from home and all the other people on the meeting had met at the office. They apologize to her for leaving her out! She is gracious to them, silently being happy that they didn’t know she had forgotten the meeting.
What a day of mix ups, messages and confusion, yet in the end Sandra and the client were fine, Sandra and I had a fun breakfast, and all is well. We laughed. We don’t find things like today to be all that odd. Just fun little bumps along the route. Has anything like this happened to you? Please tell me! It is so much more fun to know that Sandra and I are not the only people this happens to. Every Day Is A Good Day. VJ
p.s. After I got back home and did domestic things like laundry and fixing meals, and desk things like researching a project for a volunteer group I belong to, I took a look at my calendar. It is 4 p.m. I had a haircut appointment at 11:30. Yikes! I blew that one. But wait, there is a question mark next to the time. I call the salon. Many rings and then the machine comes on. I leave a message. Next I call my hairdresser’s cell and leave a message. No calls come back. I know they are going to move so I think perhaps they are in mid move. Still I wait. On Friday the call comes in and I’m scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and no, I wasn’t on the books for Wednesday. Whew! VJ
everydaywithvj 