The Running Scene!!

There have been many experiences in my life now that have served to confirm that there are no coincidences, merely a watchful God who sometimes laughs at us.

Case in point: JeanGenie.

JeanGenie and I go way back to the seventh grade where we sat together every day during lunch. While there have been periods of years where we don't see each other, we are still great friends. He has recently been living in Europe, attempting study on some PhD program I have still yet to comprehend. When I planned my (first) most recent trip to England, I contacted him to see if we could meet up. Unfortunately, he had no idea of his whereabouts, he was coming back to the States the same time I would be there, etc etc etc. The subject was dropped and no further contact was attempted.

Fast forward to: March 30, 2006.

I had just flown into London's Heathrow Airport, taken the 7:40 am bus to Oxford, and spent the day touring the beautiful historic sites. In the afternoon, my tour guide (and good friend) stop to take an ice cream break in the One and Only Ice Cream Shop In Oxford. As I am contentedly licking my mint cone, who should walk by the plate glass window but JeanGenie.

Ensue the following scene:

"JeanGenie! JEANGENIE!!!" (no response, as he is outside and I am inside and normally people don't walk by storefronts staring into the windows)

I now have to race to the entrance of the cafe (on the opposite end of where I'm sitting, natch) and run BACK past the plate glass window, now accruing the stares of everyone inside...

"JeanGenie!" (screaming continues) Now I am running down the narrow alley, scattering startled Brits right and left. Oh yeah, and it's raining really hard. Luckily JeanGenie is the only one without an umbrella (oh, and myself...)

I realize he has earphones on and therefore couldn't hear me anyway, so I have to actually grab him by the shoulder before he realizes my existence.

"ahhh, Asian Keng!" Much surprise, glee, joy, hurrah hurrah hurrah. Turns out he was leaving Oxford within the day to head back to the States. He had exactly 28 minutes before he had to leave town.

TourGuide, as we are leaving ice cream shop and going our separate ways: "Wow. That was weird."

Yup. And God is laughing.