The One with the Reunion After 11 Years!

Hi all!

I am really happy and delighted today. I met up with a friend and her husband after 11 years. My friend and I went together to school here in Jeddah. We were actually good friends, and even shared some of the same classes. We still fondly remember the English Literature class we took for our O'Levels. After graduation, I left for Pakistan. I still stayed in contact with her, even though it was through postal mails, since emails were not commonplace then. I left for the US, and my friend was in Canada. I had access to email in Texas and we emailed back and forth quite a lot. I left the US after my first year and came to Dubai. I lost contact with her for about five years.

It was last year when a common friend of ours told me that my friend is here from Canada. I knew my friend had married and was here in Saudi with her husband. We restablished contact, and this year we actually texted message a lot to one another over the mobile phone. Today, that day finally came when we met one another face to face.

We had dinner at Chilis. The dinner and desserts were over fast, and we spent almost an extra hour sitting at the table talking about so many things. I had an opportunity to meet's my friend's husband. What was amazing that he grew up in Mombassa, and my mom and her family also grew up in Mombassa! What a small world! However, the highlight for me was when we started reminiscening about our times in school! Teachers, classes, friends, sick notes, weird teachers, affairs, what we would do in classes and so on and on! We were actually laughing out loud. At the end of it all, our friend said 'those were the good times.' I could not have agreed with her more. Those were indeed really the good times. My friend and her husband paid for our dinner as well.

What I am amazed is that I got the opportunity to meet my friend after 11 years. I did not really think that such an opportubnity would rise. But when God has a plan, He has a plan. I am thankful for my friend, and she has been a good friend. In case, if any of you are curious, she is the one who has been leaving most of the comments on my early blog articles. Her blog, if you are interested is < www.zainahsworld.blogspot.com >

Friendship is indeed a gift in life, and I can honestly say that I witnessed the manifestation of "friendship" tonight.

Yours all delighted and smiling,

Mansur