Today I was meeting with a guy about a potential project. We had never met but only spoken on the phone and via email. After discussing lots of options for locations (suburbs? office? city? cafe?), we settled on a cafe near a subway stop in Somerville (right outside of Boston). Convenient and both of us knew where it was.

I got there first and scoped out all the tables. I hate this part: trying to determine who is your meeting guy. I know that (a) everyone in the cafe thinks this is like a meet-up from Match.com and (b) they are all watching to see if I get stood up. (C) I feel like I'm re-enacting Are You My Mother? in a post-modern, grown up version (Are you my meeting? No? Are you my meeting? No...okay, bye.)

After determining that every single man was NOT my meeting (so embarrassing), I settled down to a table by the window and eventually let him find ME. We had a great meeting, very productive, and all of the sudden he jumped up and knocked on the window at a passing pedestrian. The guy outside did a double take and beamed with recognition. Meeting guy jumped up, excused himself and said "that's my college roommate!" then dashed outside, where they hugged and talked for a few minutes and grinned at each other.

What are the chances?

~Meeting guy was in town from Chile, where he lives and works. He's only in Boston once or twice a year.

~He hadn't seen his roommate for over 5 years and they had lost contact--no email, no Christmas cards, didn't know where the other was.

~Of all the places we discussed meeting, we chose this one place at this time where I chose a place by the window and his friend walked down the street into the "perfect storm" for crossing paths.

I think I was excited as meeting guy was (or almost) although refrained from running out and hugging the guy myself.

I love serendipity!

(Also the movie Serendipity was cute. Sometimes I think G looks a little like John Cusack.)