Well, I've sat here at work for about thirty minutes. The phone has rang once. Three people have walked by, only one of whom I know. The others are faces. I think they work down the hall and just frequent our office for fun. Because it's so much fun in here.
Uh huh.
I haven't had much going on and have had some time for reflecting on yesterday (and that I should paint my fingernails). I only talked to three people on the phone yesterday. And all three of them were named Mike (well, besides when I talked for a few minutes to Dave, my newest blog fan- hey Dave! That's right, there are now two of you fans out there).
Hold on, y'all. If you are thinking that I'm going anywhere deep with this, I'm not. Let's face it- it's been a while since I've been remotely deep.
So, bear with me as I just tell you about my Mikes.
The first is one whom I've never met. I mean, I feel like I have. I've "known" him for about ten years. We began talking online shortly after our family got internet in the mid nineties. I know what you may be thinking. But, alas, we all know I am a nerd and I have come to terms with this. I began "chatting" with Mike my sophomore year of high school. He lives in California and has lived there all his life. What started as innocent, high school chatting has developed into a true friendship.
When we first started talking, my mom learned about it and freaked out when I told her I wanted to start writing Mike (snail mailing him).
"Don't give him your address. You don't know who he is." Indeed, she was right. I really didn't know him. After telling Mike my mom's reaction, he had his own.
"What can I do to prove to your mom that I'm not a crazy person?"
Her answer: Have him meet your uncle in California.
Looking back, I can't help but laugh. I laughed then, too, but so did Mike. And you know what he did after he laughed? He agreed to it!
My uncle worked in Huntington Beach, just about thirty miles from where Mike lived. Mike took his package he had addressed to me (mostly pictures and some CA memorablia) to where my uncle worked. After arriving and learning that my uncle wasn't there (and believe me, mom confirmed later with my uncle that he really wasn't there during the time Mike dropped by), Mike dropped the package off and left.
To make a long story short, mom eventually realized he wasn't a psycho killer. Mike and I began conversing online, then via letters, and then (eventually) over the phone.
I've grown up a lot since we first started talking, but so has he. Being five years older than me, there have been stages in our lives where we didn't have much in common. For the past few years, however, we've been on an equal playing field. He's supported me through several boyfriends and one fiance. We've chatted about life, dreams, and whatever new girlfriend he has. He makes me laugh and he's heard me cry.
I'll never forget the moment (I was a freshman in college) when his friend wrote me with news that Mike had been in an accident and was in a coma. By the time his friend had written the email, Mike had been in the coma for about three days. His back was broken and doctors were unsure if he'd survive. The wind had been knocked out of me and my heart sat in my gut. I was stunned and for the following weeks, tracked Mike's progress through our mutual friend (Mike's "real life" friend and one whom I'd conversed with online and by phone). Suffering no brain damage and overcoming amazing odds, Mike survived and was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Today, despite what doctors told him, he can walk with the assistance of a cane or walker. Preferring his wheelchair, he leads a "normal" life and works in the CA public school system as an area director.
He's an amazing person who has a lot of inner and outer strength. I enjoy his calls and yesterday was no exception. He can always make me laugh- especially when he imitates my accent.
The second Mike I spoke with yesterday was like the ghost from Christmas past. He was a close friend of mine in college. I met him my sophomore year in a class that we shared. He graduated with a major in Communication Studies like me, so we actually shared several classes together (later, we coordinated them that way). When I first saw him I thought he was hot- smoking even.
He reminded me of one of my favorite characters (Ben) that played on Felicity, a popular show during that time. With dark blonde hair, green eyes, and beautiful smile, I was psyched to be randomly paired up with him on a class assignment. We hit it off and developed a pretty close friendship during our last two years of college. One that even borderlined as "more than friends" a time or two.
He graduated a semester ahead of me and, despite promising to keep in touch, we both failed miserably. Well, last week I was editing phone numbers in my phonebook and saw his. I called him on my lunch break and we chatted for a couple of minutes. He was at work and we agreed to talk later.
So, last night "later" arrived as I dialed him again. I don't know what I was expecting (if anything), but it was fun briefly catching up. He thought I was married. Last time he'd heard anything about me, I was engaged. We covered the past three years in a few minutes, caught up on where we are now (he's in Chapel Hill), and established that not too much had happened. Well, at least with him.
We closed, promised to catch up with each other if I ever go through Chapel Hill (why I would, I can't imagine), and left it at that. I don't know if I'll talk to him anytime soon. Maybe I'll wait another three years to call. Either way, it was fulfilling to answer the question "Wonder what Mike's up to?"
Finally, Mike number three. Y'all still with me? Ha ha.
The last Mike is one from back home. He's a friend from church whom I've been talking to a lot more since I moved. We were starting to hang out a bit in the weeks before I left town. A few weeks ago, we had some good conversations when I joined him and my other friends at the lake house that I wrote of.
Anyways, I'm not sure of too many things, but I do feel good about this developing... whatever (?). He's actually going to ride up to VA this weekend with Brooke and her boyfriend to see me. :)
So, I ended the evening after he called. We spoke for quite a while. We still have a lot of new things to share with one another and it's exciting. I'm anticipating a fun weekend and am patiently taking one step at a time. Unsure of timing and placement, there are still lots of questions to answer.
And that's all I have to share about that right now.
Well, there you have it. My Mikes and the random Wednesday connection of all three (you can't say that you weren't warned about this posting).
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