I've been going to the same dentist practice for about 25 years, and although the office location, personnel, and technology have changed over the years, it never fails that I run into someone I know in the waiting room. Such was the case this afternoon when the cold wind swept me into the lobby after a 20 minute walk from school.
"Tracey!" I heard my name and looked to the receptionist who was not looking at me. "Is it you?"
A guy and his teenaged son were the only other patients in the waiting room, and I recognized them right away. I started my teaching career with Colin and his son was a student at our school until last year. Colin stood up and gave me a great big hug.
"You're all checked in!" the receptionist told me, and I plopped down next to my friend and loosened my scarf. It had been a long time since I'd seen him. Colin took the administrative track early on in our careers, and now he was a well-respected principal at an elementary school on the north side. I looked at him and shook my head. Despite the years with their inevitable hardships and tragedies, he still had the same gap-toothed grin of the silly trickster he was.
I flashed back to my phone ringing on a Saturday morning in the mid-90s. "Hello?" I answered.
"This is Governor George Allen calling for the teacher of the house. Is she home?"
I was confused and literally speechless until laughter broke the silence. "It's Colin!" he said. "I have a question about school."
Today we chatted amiably but aimlessly. It's hard to fill in years of gaps in five minutes in a waiting room, so we talked about school construction and his older son's college classes. All too soon they called my name. I stood and turned to Colin, but before I could say anything too mushy he spoke first.
"Give her a big shot in the gums!" he called to the hygienist.
I giggled and followed her to the back.
"Do you know that guy?" she asked with concern.
"Yep!" I told her.
"Tracey!" I heard my name and looked to the receptionist who was not looking at me. "Is it you?"
A guy and his teenaged son were the only other patients in the waiting room, and I recognized them right away. I started my teaching career with Colin and his son was a student at our school until last year. Colin stood up and gave me a great big hug.
"You're all checked in!" the receptionist told me, and I plopped down next to my friend and loosened my scarf. It had been a long time since I'd seen him. Colin took the administrative track early on in our careers, and now he was a well-respected principal at an elementary school on the north side. I looked at him and shook my head. Despite the years with their inevitable hardships and tragedies, he still had the same gap-toothed grin of the silly trickster he was.
I flashed back to my phone ringing on a Saturday morning in the mid-90s. "Hello?" I answered.
"This is Governor George Allen calling for the teacher of the house. Is she home?"
I was confused and literally speechless until laughter broke the silence. "It's Colin!" he said. "I have a question about school."
Today we chatted amiably but aimlessly. It's hard to fill in years of gaps in five minutes in a waiting room, so we talked about school construction and his older son's college classes. All too soon they called my name. I stood and turned to Colin, but before I could say anything too mushy he spoke first.
"Give her a big shot in the gums!" he called to the hygienist.
I giggled and followed her to the back.
"Do you know that guy?" she asked with concern.
"Yep!" I told her.
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