Elena and Alexandra had initially met three years ago on Craigslist. Alexandra’s ‘Strictly Platonic’ ad described her as a late-thirties married female originally from Europe, looking to make female friends. Elena had recently moved to Seattle and didn’t know many people. She was hoping to make a friend, too, and responded to Alex’s ad because they seemed to have a lot in common: Elena, too, was born in Europe, was married, and roughly of the same age.
The two women connected and soon became fast friends, in spite of their vastly different temperaments, appearances, and situations. The two –petite, full-figured, curly redhead Elena and tall, slim, classic blonde Alex –made quite a pair. Elena’s exuberant, outspoken personality amused and drew out the somewhat reserved, calm Alex, who, in turn, lent her stabilizing support to the often scattered Elena who attracted drama like a magnet. The two did all the fun girl stuff together, having heart-to-heart talks about everything, exploring local bars, restaurants and the shopping scene, and occasionally arranging cozy get-togethers at home with their husbands.
Not surprisingly, their differences weren’t just skin-deep; they were also reflected in the state of their marriages: Alex’s stable, tried-and-proven, if somewhat lackluster, childless marriage was a direct opposite of Elena’s turbulent, unhappy union sprouting new fatal cracks every day, with children caught in the middle. Alex did her best to be there for Elena, but the ongoing changes in Elena’s private life had put a strain on their friendship, and finally separated them altogether. They just grew apart, with Elena constantly distressed, in a whirlwind of activity, and Alex hoping for steady interaction.
Three years passed as if in a dream. For Elena, it was more like a nightmare. During that time, she’d endured the ravages of divorce, lost her home and job, and alone through it all, she often thought about Alex. She’d wanted to reach out many times, but felt that having no one to complain helped her keep a stout backbone. It was almost as if she was afraid that if a close friend was there to hold her, she would dissolve into a messy pile of snot and tears and never manage to gather herself back up into the pillar of strength she’s become. She did decide to contact Alex once, but realized that she lost her contact information during the move, and her phone number was unlisted. What if Alex moved to the country, like she’d hoped back when she knew her?
The wheel of fortune inevitably turns, if somewhat slowly, and so it has for Elena, who had finally established a stable home and found an awesome new job. She felt like she has awakened from the two-year nightmare and was once again beginning to enjoy her freedom and the new life she’d built for her family. She was ready to meet people and embark on new adventures. Yet, these things take time, and she found herself wondering how she was going to accomplish a fun-filled holiday season without friends. Again, she thought of Alex. She’d really missed her, and this time she was absolutely determined to find her. But how, short of going back to the old neighborhood and knocking on what used to be (and hopefully still is) her door? If only she could remember her email address, but she could only recall the part that came before the @, not the carrier.
She started surfing the net, looking for solutions to locating lost connections, when she stumbled on SearchDetective.net. What she found was just awesome! The options were varied and many, but she focused on Phone Lookup by Name and Email Lookup, and the report that came back two seconds later returned all the lost contact information for Alex she hasn’t been able to locate in three years. Remembering the partial email address made looking it up easy: she spotted the right one immediately. She was glad to find out good old Alex was still living where she’d left her. She was tempted to call her right away, but decided it would be easier to write an email, bringing her up-to-date with all her recent life-changing events, hoping she accepts her apology for letting their friendship slip away. Elena also provided her new cell phone number, asking Alex to give her a call.
Elena sent the email really hoping Alex would forgive her and want to see her again. The phone rang but ten minutes later, and Alex’s excited, happy laughter told her everything she needed to know: she still had a good friend. “Oh yeah,” Alex was saying, “You should come to the party we’re having next week. I can’t wait to catch up!”
