A Reunion

Late last night my husband, son and I drove out on I-64 to Route 58 towards Suffolk, VA. We were heading out to find a gas station to meet up with a family from N.C. We had exchanged phone numbers earlier in the day and agreed to meet where we were "pretty sure" there was a Shell gas station. The night sky was dark, filled with storm clouds and some much needed rain was hitting the windshield in a sort of reassuring rhythm. Although it felt a little strange to be leaving home so late at night, we all had a bit of excitement at seeing old friends. They had lived next door to us when we bought our first house here in Chesapeake fourteen years ago. Our son Jon-Michael was just three when we moved in and their son, Zack was closer to four. It didn't take long for them to become best friends, inseparable most of the time.
At that age they were playing with firetrucks and still taking an afternoon nap, when we could get them apart. Over the years the toys went from firetrucks, to GI Joes, to miniature hot wheel cars. We shared so many days together, and so many deck parties behind our house at the end of the work week. The adults would all wander over, we would cook simple meals of hot dogs and hamburgers and rinse them down with adult beverages; usually wine for the women, cold beer for the guys. When darkness fell, we weren't deterred from our good time by anything, including hungry mosquitos. The boys ran non-stop into nightime activities of chasing fireflies, running with flashlights and playing hide-n-seek. We gave it up usually late into the night whenever we just couldn't stay out any longer.
As we approached the gas station, we discovered it was a "Kangaroo," not a Shell station but we knew we had the right place; it was the only one out there for miles. We pulled in and saw we had arrived first, so we sat and waited. We quietly talked about how much time had gone by since the day Zacks Mom told us they were moving away to N.C. The boys were around eight and it was the first time I witnessed true sadness on our son's face. We had walked over to their driveway and struggled with holding back the emotions of saying goodbye.
As we watched headlights come and go in and out of the gas station, we finally saw a vehicle with N.C. plates and it pulled up beside us. As we all got out, I couldn't believe the 6' plus frame that climbed out. After the hugs and hellos, we took Zack with us to our house for the next two nights. The next morning, they made plans to drive to the Outer Banks to spend the day with friends at the beach. The boys who used to push their little cars across the floor, complete with the sound effects and dream of driving one someday, had arrived. I watched as they drove away in Jon-Michael's Honda Prelude with sun roof open, windows down, radio blaring. From eight to seventeen had passed in the blink of an eye, even when I thought I was looking. It was good to see them together again. The bodies have grown, the toys have changed, but their smiles remain.