Afternoon Delight

Yes, I know that afternoon delight is supposed to be sex, but sometimes it's friendship. On Tuesday, July 18th, two friends I had never met in person before, Claire and Shay (listed in alphabetical order because there is no other way), came to Juneau on the Norwegian Star. We had met on the internet, and when they decided take a cruise to Alaska, they e-mailed me and I arranged to take the afternoon off work and play with them. Shay rented a car that was delivered to me, and I picked them up and drove them around and used it this morning for a couple of errands before work.

We went to a late lunch in the Valley, because parking during working hours is almost impossible downtown. And then we went to the Mendenhall Glacier. After that we went to my apartment, where they got to meet the Hooligans and try to figure out just how many rooms I have*. And then to dinner. And what did we do? We sat and talked. We talked over and after lunch. We talked at the glacier. We talked at my apartment. We talked over and after dinner.

We already knew that we liked each other. We already knew a lot about each other. But, we didn't know just how delightful we would find each other. We didn't know just how much we agreed with each other about the important things and the little things and the silly things and the serious things. There is no way the internet can tell you how charming someone's smile is or how warm the twinkle in her eye. Only the sound of the voice tells you how totally someone agrees with what you just said about the president or the church or pets or spicy food or breaking free of the restraints that all women are raised with.

Because the Norwegian Sun left late, the Star docked late and instead of our visit starting at 2, it started at almost 3:30. That was a loss for me, an hour and a half stolen from our time together. They left me with gifts: from Claire, a bar of chocolate from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor's Center, from Shay marbles that her husband had made (who knew that people could make marbles?), some of them with my name on them! The General Tao's chicken and crab we couldn't finish at dinner. I will enjoy and treasure the gifts, they will remind me of these two friends who came to town one afternoon and filled it with delight.

* Is it two? Is it six? Odd angles and strange passages without doors make it confusing. Downstairs may be a living room and kitchen and breakfast nook, or maybe just an oddly shaped room. Upstairs may be a bedroom and office and library, or maybe just an even more oddly shaped room. All I know is, I have two stories.