Old Friends...

Back in 2005 on my trip to Japan (all alone) I was sitting in LAX airport waiting until midnight to board the flight. Well I was on standby for a military flight along with 13 others. I had been there since around 1pm in the afternoon. Eventually when I was hungry enough I went up to counter to ask for change for a $20 so I could get a luggage cart. Before the ticket agent could say anything, this sweet man (named Dan) smiled at me and said he's share one with me. I laughed and said ok. I figure he was in is late 50's (and I was right). We ended up talking a long time and I found out he was a Master Gunnery Sgt. coming from Cherry Point NC and going to Japan. He conned some poor woman in to watching our luggage and we went to the food court where he bought me dinner. Around 11pm they began the boarding process and announced there were only 4 standy-by seats available and I was number 5 on the list. I was distraught and went to the payphone to call my dad and let him know. As I was in tears on the phone, Dan brought me a sprite and kleenex. When I got done calling he told me that he wasn't going to board the plane without me and proceeded to bribe the man at the counter with a $100 bill. I was floored when my name was called lol. Being that I was still in a walking cast from breaking my foot a couple months earlier Dan let me sit on the luggage cart as we went all the way to the international terminal to check our bags. Once on the plane we discovered we were ROWS apart so he asked the young marine sitting next to him if he would swap with me so that " he could sit with his daughter" lol. From there on we teased that he adopted me. We talked to whole flight and before this gets too long we've stayed in tough for almost 5 years now. On my second trip to Japan we spent so much time at Dan's house with his wife you would think we were family.

My point to all of this is that in January Dan retired from the Marine Corps after 35 years of service. He gave me a yahoo email address to contact him because up until then I e-mailed his military address. February was the last e-mail I sent to him and I never heard back. Several option crossed my mind and after several months I gave up. Late last night my phone went off that I had a new e-mail. I couldn't have cared less because it was so late but first thing this morning I went to check and... it was from Dan. I couldn't have been more thrilled that he was doing ok and was still there! I'd really missed talking to him.

That e-mail has made this miserable rainy day, incredibly tolerable. :)