I just had lunch with three old friends from my days working at Octel. One was a good friend and colleague with whom I had been in touch off and on via telephone, email and chat, but had not met face-to-face since 1996.
He recently moved back to the Bay Area, and we decided to meet up at the Empress of India, in Santa Clara. This is a small, and very good Indian restaurant that was a frequent meeting place for the old Octel crew that I worked with. When I showed up at noon, my friend was there, and so was the boss of that old crew. She had introduced most of the shop to this restaurant, and her being there was a coincidence, made a little less amazing by the fact that she frequently has lunch there. She let slip that my first friend had invited a second old friend that I hadn't seen in many years. It turns out that he is now a V.P. of Product Management at a startup. He's a very busy guy, so he was late. My first friend and I started in on our first course. After a while, the second friend showed up. We had very pleasant conversation over the glow of truly excellent chicken curry. My ex-boss was with the party she had come with, so she didn't get involved in the conversation, but her presence made the meal seem all the more nostalgic. I felt a warm glow that was only partly due to the curry.
With some exceptions, I've been hiding out from humanity ever since my ex-wife died in December 1999. In most things, I'm self sufficient. I do well on my own. But reconnecting with this group reminds me strongly of how much I miss human company. Electronic interactions with friends fill some of my need for this sort of thing. But sitting in an old familiar place, sharing pleasures like a good meal, and watching a friend's face as he tells a joke or lets you know about a fear isn't something that translates well over email. I enjoyed this lunch an awful lot.
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