Fate Overcomes Death

[Samurai_Writer]

I have a personal story to share. The summer after my freshman year in high school, I dated a guy named Danny. He had just graduated from high school. At the end of the summer, my parents moved me and my family 1,000 miles away.

A few months later, I get a letter from a mutual friend in my old town. He tells me that Danny was murdered in a bar. I was heartbroken.

32 years later... Danny contacts me on classmates.com. It was his brother who was murdered, not him. Danny and his brother were exactly 9 months apart in age, and could pass for identical twins. So it was all a big mistake on the part of the friend who wrote the letter.

We talked for 3 hours on the phone last night. He told me that he was really mad at my parents for moving us away at the time... that he would go by my old house for years afterwards, and think of me and wonder how I was doing. And that around the beginning of June this year, he had started thinking of me more and more. The beginning of June is when my boyfriend, who I was in a serious, committed relationship, broke up with me, without any warning, discussion or real reason given.

I had always remembered Danny, especially on his birthday, which I never forgot. I named my first son after him, in honor of his memory (because I thought he had died). Ironically, he has never had any children of his own.

To say that this has been surreal would be an understatement. It's probably the most amazing experience of my life, to have someone who I was so very fond of all those years ago, almost literally back from the dead.

[AwakeAtLast]

1. Reading you story gave me goosebumps

Are you going to try to see him?

Keep us updated! :bounce:

[Samurai_Writer]

4. Yes, we talked about seeing each other again.

... and we are both interested in renewing our friendship, and see how things go. I will probably go to his city for a weekend first. Then, if we get along as well as we did before, I will invite him to come visit me.

[RedShoes]

2. a thousand miles isn't all that much now that you're an adult.

GO TO HIM...at least you'll have a few drinks and some laughs.

Besides, I wanna see how this long lost love story ends. :popcorn:

[Samurai_Writer]

6. Back in 1976, 1000 miles was a really huge distance.

No internet... long distance was way expensive... besides, he joined the army shortly after I left, and I never knew how to get in contact with him. I wrote letters to his mom's house, but he never got them. Then, I had heard that he died, of course.

I will definitely keep you updated. :)

[RedShoes]

9. But now in 2008, it's practically next door.

We have the internet, if you have a mobile phone, your long distance is probably free and you want to find out more about your LLL. (Long Lost Love).

Go there now. Hang with him now. You have nothing to lose and I am pulling for you.

i can't wait to hear the next installment. Please keep me posted. (it's like I feel like internet Yente) :)

[Samurai_Writer]

14. Oh, I'm already checking last-minute deals to his city for next weekend

And yes, cell phones are great... free long distance, free minutes after 7pm, and all incoming calls are free minutes as well on my plan. And chatting online is always an option, too.

I can't wait to hear the next installment, either! LOL

[MissMillie]

3. nice,,,

the dead come back to life for you.


I can't even get a guy to call me.

[Samurai_Writer]

7. Oh my god!!!!

You have me laughing hysterically. At work. My co-workers are looking at me funny.

And I'm sure if a guy doesn't call you, it's his loss, sweety! :)

[BarenakedLady]

5. Wow!

What an amazing story.

Any plans to get together?

[Samurai_Writer]

8. Yes

See my response to WakeMeUp.

[XemaSab]

10. Weird!

And how cool that he's still alive!

[Samurai_Writer]

12. It's very weird

And although I'm thrilled that he's still alive... I'm sad to hear about his brother. I know they were very close. He recently lost another brother as well (there were six boys and one girl in his family).

[Shell Beau]

11. That is wonderful! Are there any plans to get together?

[Samurai_Writer]

13. Yes

See my response to WakeMeUp above. :)

[Samurai_Writer]

15. A kick for the afternoon crowd

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Conan Doyle said it best:

Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really merely commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the planning, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chain of events, working through generations and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.

[Iggo]

17. Wow!

How weird! And how great! Chills, baby.

[Samurai_Writer]

18. UPDATE: I'm going to see him next Friday!

I found a super low fare + hotel to Dallas for next weekend. I called him and asked him if he'd like me to come visit, and he said yes! so I'll arrive late Friday night and be coming back home Sunday afternoon. I figure 2 days is plenty of time for a first meeting to see how things go. We'll go do some touristy things, since he just moved to Dallas 10 months ago, and I've been there quite a bit when I lived in Houston for 26 years, and know the city pretty well. He's never been to the JFK museum, so we will go there, and to Deep Ellum to listen to some live music.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. What do you say to someone the first time you see them after 32 years... after you thought they were dead for 32 years? We've been talking on the phone alot, so hopefully the face-to-face meeting won't be too nerve-wracking!

[Red State Rebel]

21. I'm back with my HS Sweetheart 36 years later....

He never married and I just divorced. He hasn't changed a bit and we are having a blast!

[Samurai_Writer]

23. Wow... really? Do tell!

How did you all meet again? How long have you two been together now?

[Red State Rebel]

26. We kept in touch off and on through the years...then...

He emailed me on the Classmates board and said he lost my number and to call him. This was last fall. I called him and we talked for a while, ended up actually getting together on Easter Sunday. He moved in with me a month later and is still here.

May 31 was 36 years since our first date!

[Samurai_Writer]

27. That is awesome!

You two certainly didn't waste any time, did you? See each other on Easter Sunday and a month later you're living together! You go, girl! ;)

[LibraLiz1973]

19. HOLY. SHIT.

That is awesome. Amazing and awesome.

[Samurai_Writer]

20. Holly Shit is right!

I can't wait until next Friday, when we finally see each other after 32 years!

[fizzgig]

22. i've got chills

i hope the trip is amazing!

[ThomCat]

24. That is really cool that you two reconnected.

:)

I don't think I've seen a post of yours in a while. Either you haven't been posting as often as you used to or else we're not crossing paths very often. But either way, it's good to see a post from you, and it's awesome that you've got a cool story like this to share.

I hope that you two can really reconnect and stay in touch. Old friends that you find again can really be good for you. :)

[Samurai_Writer]

25. Hi Thom

No, I haven't been posting much... only in the Photography group once in a while. I've been going through a really rough time the last couple of months. So this news of discovering my old friend is very, very welcomed in my life right now.

I've been reading your posts, though, and hope you are doing OK.

:hug:

[lost-in-nj]

28. wow

what a great story.....

good luck to you both

:hug:


I believe
there is a reason for everything
and everything has a reason........


:hi:


lost