Occasional flashes of smartness

I got an e-mail late last night from a second cousin (our mothers were first cousins), saying she was in the area and wanted to  know if we could meet today.  We thought we hadn't seen each other since we were children (maybe 65 years ago), and hadn't even had e-mail contact for about 10 or so years. My day was literally planned from dawn to dusk, so I asked if we couldn't make it another day. She responded, maybe Wednesday, but we'd talk.

By this morning, I realized I was being stupid.  Meeting up with a long-lost cousin was more important than playing bridge, so I started trying to get in touch with her to see if we could indeed meet this afternoon.  I didn't get in touch with her until 11:30.  But she said, yes, we could do it.  I asked about timing, thinking we'd go for 1 or 2.  Then she texted, it'd take them about 2 1/2 hours to get here, so how about 4.  What?  Where were they?  And who are "they"? Turns out this is Lydia and her son Christopher, and they're coming from Spring Hill, TN - which is south of Nashville!  They actually want to drive over here to have coffee with me, and then drive back this evening.  Well, Son of a Gun!

Knowing this, I suggested we meet at the Cracker Barrel east of Chattanooga on I-24, and said for them to contact me at some point to let me know an ETA. When I hadn't heard from her by about 3:45, I texted.  They were tied up in heavy traffic, and headed into a hard rainstorm, now ETA was about 5.  I headed out to get there at 5.  They finally got there about 5:30.  We went in to eat.

We stayed there talking for a couple of hours - getting to know each other and about our families.  We realized we had met one time as adults - at my Aunt Sally's burial in the family cemetery in East Texas (that's another funny story).  But we also agreed that we wouldn't let it be so long before meeting the next time.

She lives in Kansas, but will be back in Tennessee for her grandson's graduation from Mississippi State in December.  We're going to try to get together then - maybe somewhere in between the next time - maybe even at Margaret's.

I'm glad I can show occasional flashes of smartness.