Crossing Paths

I remember, when I was about 16, my cousin and I were driving into the valley to pick up her kids from a weekend camping trip, when ran into a man at Starbucks who was clearly interested in my cousin. 

"Was he looking at me?" she questioned. 

"He definitely was!" I said.

Always the hopeless romantic, I asked her why she didn't just say hi. He obviously wanted to talk to her; what if e was "the one"? My sixteen year old brain went into overdrive, propelled by caffeine and the giggles. 

"Well," said my cousin, "if a person is really supposed to be in your life, I believe you'll see them more than once. If that guy - that cute guy - is supposed to be in my life, I'm sure I will bump into him again." 

I remember thinking that that seemed pretty sound. Why she wouldn't just say hi, I still didn't fully grasp, but I could understand her thought process. Thinking about it now, I think her theory is pretty accurate. My best friend Maddie came to visit me in Ireland for these last two weeks, and I realized just how powerful our friendship is. 

We can communicate an entire sentence with a look or a nod. Words are rarely necessary before we acknowledge what the other is thinking, what the other going to say. My now infamous line is, "I knew it in my soul." We are just connected. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that the universe was trying to bring us together for a long time before we actually became friends. 

When we were in 7th grade, Maddie's dad died. Christmas of that year, the priest discussed the tragedy in his homily. I was there. I was alter serving with Maddie that day, but we didn't really know each other. Around the same time, our mutual friend had a birthday party we were both at. I know she was there, but I'm  not sure we were even really introduced. In eighth grade I sat next to Lily, one of maddie's closest friends. She had a picture of Maddie on her binder, and I remember looking at it thinking, I know thy girl from somewhere... Finally, Freshman year we were assigned to sit next to each other in Dr. Malhotra's Biology class. That was it. We have been practically inseparable since then.  

Having her in Ireland with me was amazing. As soon as we see each other, it's like no time at all has passed. We're right back to joking and laughing and having the occasional DMC (Deep Meaningful Conversation). She knows what I've been through. She knows what I'm going through, and it feels so good - after having to introduce myself to a whole new group of people in Ireland - to just be, no explanations needed. 

I needed her in my life, and the universe made sure to bring us together.