It was not the sort of thing you see every day.
The setting was pretty common, an airport terminal full of pedestrians toting luggage or children by the hand. I was casually reading a paper and sipping Earl Grey in the terminal refreshment area. 22 down was incorrectly entered as “London” and 46 across was “Flight 493”. It was 10:45 PM, the flight had just landed. I watched the passengers disembark. I knew he wouldn’t be first, but would duck in with a crowd.

I spied a man in an overcoat, short dark hair, seemed to match the profile pic. This was the part that always got to me, the recognition. My heart leapt to my throat. But I sat, I had read his clues, was here at the right time, now he had to interpret mine.

“Sunglasses, Earl Grey, and folded ball cap. Melia?”
“Ernmander!”
The resulting hug was close, firm, the kind two very friendly people who haven’t seen each other in a long time should have.

The sudden unwarranted slap to Ernmander’s face however was brutal. “That’s for being so brilliant!”