Knowing For Certain

I'm not someone who puts much faith in ESP or premonitions. The desire to know the future seems to be a fruitless and foolish endeavor. In light of recent events, however, I believe that there are some things that you can absolutely know. For instance, pretty much from day one in Thailand I have believed that I will run into some incidental figure out of my past. Not a close friend, just someone from the periphery of my life, like a kindergarten classmate or friend from drama camp.

Last week, this expectation was proven correct when a woman stood up from a table in a restaurant in Chiang Mai as I walked by. "Dan? Dan?" she said. I had no idea who she was, but that was not surprising if she was to be from some hidden part of my life. She introduced herself as someone who had volunteered at the Painted Turtle. At her urging, I vaguely recalled a conversation we might have had about traveling to Asia. I felt no surprise at the meeting, which I think galled her. I felt only relief that my wait was over.

Now this restaurant was the same one where a few months ago I sat and watched someone run into a friend from college that she hadn't talked to in five years. I don't want to tempt fate, but I intend on eating there more often. There are plenty of moments from my past that I would love to live through again with an old friend. I know there are people I wronged, and with a few minutes of hugging and incredulous reunion I might be able to redeem myself. If I stayed here forever I could in time relive my entire life again.