Serendipity?

I wrote this Saturday morning, while emotions and moments were freshly floating in my brain.

I wasn't supposed to be there, but my prior commitment had been cancelled at the last minute. I grabbed a bite to eat and then sat in the car for a while, debating between going home and going to the club. Anybody who knows me knows that nightclubs aren't my scene (as though I have one). They prey upon all of my anxieties, which is exactly why I ended up going.

By chance, I heard about the event the night before. Less than an hour before it started, I decided to go. In the least likely place I should be found, she found me.

I met her ten years ago, last saw her seven years ago, last spoke with her last year and met someone who reminded me of her two weeks ago. We went to the same college and shared the same major. She was energetic, independent, intelligent and beautiful. She loved to dance and travel. Of her physically, I most vividly remember her eyes, her hair and the freckles on her face.

As the years passed, she became a cluster of memories, a bundle of qualities, a feeling, a regret, an ideal and a muse. She left an impression on me, larger than the one I left on her. Seeing and talking with her last night took me back in time.

Serendipity became one of my favorite words after I saw the movie of the same name (Cusack, Piven and Beckinsale!). It tickles the mind to believe our meeting was more than mere coincidence, but I fear I'm searching for signs that aren't there, trying to find meaning in chance.

I don't think I should let people like her slip out my life, but I'm not sure how to invite them back and even more unsure if it's reasonable to ask.