Cat’s Adventure Part 1

Although I had known Fred for a little more than two years, it was the first time I had heard his voice. A little deeper than I had expected but with that great British accent Americans love.

“So good to finally meet you and Cat in person, Ed. This is my wife Sue. Welcome home.”

We had just endured a full day of travel, the last leg of which was a 7-hour, overnight flight from Washington/Dulles to Heathrow. Those words, spoken in the rush of the arrival hall refreshed us and were the perfect touch. We love to travel, have been to the UK a few times, but always spent our time shuffling between cities and B&Bs, seeing and doing as much as possible in the limited amount of time a full work schedule had allowed. We had made acquaintances along the way but no friends.

I extended my hand in greeting trying to respect the British reserve, but Sue ignored it and gave me the continental kiss on each cheek. I noticed that Fred did the same with Cat. Fred and I shook hands, and I made a lame comment about not having a kiss for me. My mouth sometimes gets me into trouble, and I say stupid things. There was an awkward laugh, followed by the customary comments about how tired we must be and inquiries into the quality of the flight and the food. “One good, one bad” was our response. Within a half hour we were settled into the back of their car and headed toward their home, about an hour to the west of London. While Fred was paying attention to the driving Cat and Sue traded comments and questions. It gave me time to reflect on how we had ended up here.

Fred and I met via comment communication on an adults-only web site. It was a benign site that was filled with pictures of the poster’s girlfriends, wives, or themselves.