From the thread when Truman and Rich first met in 2007:
Well that was the first time I went down to Atlanta, one of two times. But the first time actually met was going to the rodeo in California on the 14th of September AD 2007, this was what I wrote at the time:
"In the days leading up to the departure I could see esseffjoe in my head, his eyes over his glasses telling me: there are no coincidences.
So I sent Lee a pm with my flight schedule and in minutes had my confirmation: we were on the same damn flight out of Atlanta. Yee-Haw! "I'll be wearing my cowboy hat" I told him.
That night before I packed my bag with stuff I would never use and at 4 am began the sickening ride to the airport, realizing I should have got up a half hour earlier, running to get to the gate, damn if I missed this flight.....there are no coincidences....I exhaled.
Gate T3, ATL, 7:30 or so in the morning, I have seen his picture, know I will recognize him, where is...there he is. "Hey Buddy!" after all these months the only question I still had was his height, which turned out to be about the same as mine, Rock Hudson with better hair. We find we can indeed change our seat assignments, are given two seats in a section of three, and the third never shows. It is the best possible way to cross the continent: with a good friend and a series of Bourbons. We laughed and cut up and told our stories and carried on like two giggling teenagers, like we had know each other since we were born. I am sure the women in the row ahead of us had an earfull.
Arriving in SFO I get the call from Judy, she is there waiting by the bagage claim, and we stop to have one more drink, so as to give our bags time to get there. Here she is, the answer lady, the one who has been on so many of the same paths I take I feel like I can ask her what to expect next. We are the happiest people in the airport that day, I am sure."
(I still have those minibottles, had an idead I would make Xmess tree decorations of them, but never did.)
After going on with several other events I catch up with him at the dance that night:
"And Lee? He had morphed into the night blooming Sirius, the plant that every Granny in Virginia used to have on her porch in the summer time, in a big pot, hauled in each winter so that once ever seven years it would bloom, for one night, at midnight, and all the grandchildren would stay up and watch. It was midnight, and he was in full bloom. He staggered over to me and put his arms around me and hollered in my ear: I am having such a good time and other endearments.
"You have a friend for life" I told him. I wasn't just speaking for me. Now, he can be a friend to himself as well."
And here it is: