Web.
Wandering the Web late at night I typed in the names of two old lost friends in case there was a clue to their whereabouts. The first one was the only American I have ever been out with and he was the first married man I ever slept with. But it was 'all right' because he was in an exciting 'open' marriage. This did not preclude him getting divorced not long afterwards, luckily at least three girls past me and it was his wife who ran away with another man AND his best friend, to live happily ever after in a threesome. I had heard ages ago that he was now a sucessful interior designer in NY but the only entry that came up was a short transcript from a TV programme. On older men who decide to have plastic surgery. 'So Jim, what made you decide to take this step?'. 'Well, you know, we all like to feel good about ourselves and I thought some tweaks here and there would keep me out dating for a few more years ... ha, ha.' Okaay. Luckily there was no clue to his present address.

The second one was a girl I knew at prep. school who I wrote about in February when I was going skiing. I had tried to find her before but with no luck at all. This time I had a lateral thought - her family had lived in a famous house but it was divided in half, so I looked up all the members of the other family. Da, daa ...ish. They actually had a huge family website listing every single person related to them right up to the present day with all the girls' married names and various obituaries, but not addresses or phone numbers. But ... (I hate you 'Life') ... there was a link to a classified advertisement. The mother, who I had assumed had died years ago, had actually only died this year. She was very well known in the ballet world and a long term and beloved teacher. The advertisement had been for anyone who had been her pupil, ever, (me), to come to a huge memorial drinks party - three months ago. Where, after twenty years of searching, my girlfriend would absolutely definitely have been.....

Funny how a quiet midnight stroll on the Web can send your emotions from A - B.

- posted by Iris @ 9/18/2004 09:49:00 AM comment