adam, around the world

I was alone for the first time in over a week. It's amazing how easily you meet people when you travel solo. I went to the small town of Vashisht on the recommendation of my editor/writing and yoga teacher. I walked around and found my way along a cow-dung-dotted path headed to a waterfall. After a half hour hike and no sight of a waterfall, other than a fast, scenic stream careening down the steep hill, I stopped and sat. Then, I met two Israeli girls who were heading to Leh and had come from Dharamsala. So, we exchanged advice since we were each heading to where the other had just been. They left, I continued sitting for a few more minutes, debating whether to continue upward in search of the waterfall.

I decided no, and instead set out for a cafe in which to snack, read and write for the afternoon. As I was walking back through the town, it began to sprinkle lightly. Then, I looked up and saw standing on the street, not just an American, not just an acquaintance, not even just a friend, but Adam H., the first boy I ever loved. I walked toward him and gaped for a moment in disbelief. We'd become good friends back when we were in the creative advertising program at UT. After a year of friendship, I developed deeper feelings and drama ensued until he abruptly left me and the Western Hemisphere to teach English in Japan. I didn't see him for over four years, until a random weekend in late 2006 when I was visiting other friends in Houston. And then I didn't see him again, until the other day, in the middle of a small north Indian village.

As it turns out, he's been living in India since May. He's working on his MBA from a school in Phoenix. He'd quit his internship in Delhi and is traveling around until August. After returning to the US for a couple months, he'll return to Delhi to spend the fall semester at an acclaimed business school in Hyderabad, which is in south India. So, we walked and talked, and sat in a Chinese restaurant and drank Australian beers for a few hours until I had to leave and catch my bus to Dharamsala. It was quite nice to hang out with a familiar old friend after weeks of interesting strangers. I had an unshakable feeling that we were somehow destined to meet up in India. I harbor no notions that we are meant to be together romantically, but maybe we are meant to continue keeping in touch more than we had been.