Waiting for a Friend

I thought I lost a friend yesterday . . . to death or life. Which is worse? Luckily I was wrong. A friend lost himself yesterday and went searching. He came back today, but I don't know if he found what he was looking for. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I did lose a friend yesterday and only his shell returned. For now, I can just wait. And wait. And wait . . .

This morning, another friend whom I thought I lost long ago emailed me out of the digital blue, announcing that she is still alive, had PC problems and now have a new email address. I did not lose that friend either. Or did I? Am I merely corresponding to a ghost in the machine? A rogue message drifting through the Internet's waters like a bottle cast into the ocean long ago? For now, I can just wait. And wait. And wait . . .

I've lost friends before . . . to life and death. Both Death and Life are equally malicious, and there is pretty much nothing one can do about it. Apart from waiting, of course. And wait. And wait . . .