I have been waiting for this meeting for days now!!

This afternoon I have arranged a kind of a get together mini reunion and the meeting spot is at the new hotel where I am going today .

My two closest and dear friends Lenia and Toula who live in Limassol are to join me as well.

Now why all this? Well, after 38 years I am meeting Maria again, a very dear and close friend from school. She lives in the United States ever since she graduated the American Academy. I can't wait to see her again. The 4 of us were classmates from the Academy but I know Maria from Primary school and for 6 consecutive years we were in the same class. We were neighbors as well and there were times especially during exams when we would study together.

Since I am not driving I ask Maria to pick me up from home. She is here with her husband. Wow! My friend has not changed much. She is still beautiful, a lady now –not the young girl of those days. We hug and kiss and hold each other for minutes and we cannot believe that all these years have passed without seeing each other even once. Every time Maria would come to Cyprus I was away.

We are on our way to the hotel in the suburbs of Larnaca when Lenia calls asking where we have been. We are very close but by mistake it seems that we got a wrong direction for some minutes and we make a U turn and get to the village again to ask for further directions.

It is not long when we reach the hotel causing noise pollution in the lobby the first few minutes. There is more hugging and kissing when the four of us meet and there is much excitement. The lady at the reception is staring probably surprised. The moment is very emotional, I get to the reception to check in and explain how the situation is.

I carry my few things to my room but in minutes I am back with my friends. We are all excited and each one remembers moments and incidents of the past. There are peals of laughter every now and then, and it is funny how each of us remembers different instances. Lenia takes out an album with family photos…mostly photos of her grand daughter. Maria does the same and so the photos go round and round for everyone to see. Oh no…For years now I stopped using albums so I have no photos to show. There are thousands of them on the net but not in albums!

 

We have some coffee and drinks but Lenia cannot stay longer than an hour. She wants to get back before it gets dark she claims. We kiss goodbye but promise to keep in touch from here onwards. Maria is to spend one more month in Cyprus before she returns home again so she will have the chance to meet again Lenia and Toula once again and this time in Limassol. So I guess I will have news from Maria when she gets back home.

What a nice mini reunion this was!