Have you ever had a "Ghost" person come back into your life?

[Arugula Latte]

I just did, today.

After an amazing college and young-20s experience, I had a falling out with my best friend in all the world, the best friend I ever had besides my sister and husband.

The break-up of our friendship was far, far worse for me than the demise of any romance with a male.

Fifteen years passed.

I would frequently dream about her. I'd run into her in some strange place, under strange circumstances. "Hi," I'd say. Then we'd pick up where we left off. The relief I'd felt at the resumption of our friendship was immense ... Then I'd wake up, feeling out of sorts.

Recently, a mutual friend who also had not heard nor seen this friend for years ran into her when they were on vacation far from their respective homes. The mutual friend gave my long-lost best friend my e-mail.

Today we communicated for the first time since we were young. So far, we haven't addressed any of the issues surrounding our "break-up," but we've been filling each other in on life events. An important piece of my life has been restored in some way. It's hard to express what it means to recapture a bit of the past.

Has anyone else ever had a similar experience?

[Arugula Latte]

1. No ghosts for anyone?

:shrug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. A couple, but nothing as intense as the friendship you described

Have made conatct with a couple of old school chums, but it all kind of fizzled out.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Yes, it will be interesting to see if this "sticks."

It's unchartered territory for us both. We don't live in the same town anymore, but I do visit my family in California frequently.

[Sequoia]

4. I sure wish I could hook up with past friends.

But actually, I have. I grew up in a fundie like children's home and three years ago we had a reunion so all these kids came back but now we're much older and one of the gals who was in my younger brothers class and I email each other all the time. We're both politically minded and although she considers herself a conservative, I can see my views are working on her. Most of the stuff I send her is from you fine invisable friends at DU. She takes some of the info to her university class. I always used to wonder what happened to all the kids I grew up with and now I mostly know.

[begin_within]

5. I researched and found an old boyfriend I had not seen in 19 years. When

I lived in Portland, Oregon this guy and I were more or less "together" for a while, but when I moved to California we lost all contact. I did a name and address search and narrowed it down to about 50 people with the same name, all in Oregon or Washington, and mailed a postcard to all of them. A reply came just a week or two later, it was pretty amazing. He and his current lover came to visit me a few months later, and they have been inviting me to visit them ever since.

[Arugula Latte]

7. That's cool.

It's nice the current lover doesn't seem to be jealous or anything.

[begin_within]

9. No jealousy, in fact they tried to get me to jump into bed with them.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

6. Not yet

but there was one young man I grew up with, whom I was very close to (completely platonic) and he dated my best friend. That ended badly..tragically, actually. Eventually we all went on to school and his family moved away. His name is fairly common and I've searched for him to no avail. One time his name was on classmates.com and I wrote to him but he didn't answer and then his name disappeared.

It sounds to me like your friend came to represent something in your life..perhaps lost childhood?

[Arugula Latte]

8. Yes -- She represents lost high-flying younger days to me.

I didn't really know her well until college, and we went through all the massive changes that happen when you're free for the first time in your life and able to make your own decisions. Those days of drunken underage partying in dorms and road trips and the like are long gone, but the memories are very intense.

[marzipanni]

10. ~1982 I got a friend's parents' phone number from directory assistance

to inquire about his whereabouts. His dad, an elderly man, didn't reply for a moment, then said, "He died. I can't talk about it." I was dumbstruck, too, so I said "i'm so sorry, I've been thinking about him." I immediately sat down and wrote to his parents and told them how much the friendship of their son had meant to me and told them about the long walks we took exploring the island we were both new to. His mom wrote a very appreciative letter back to me. Ever since then I hesitate to try to find someone from the past.
Almost three years ago when I was visiting back east, my brothers and I and a bunch of old high school and college friends got together for a wonderful potluck dinner and music (many musicians at the gathering) That was a very joyful event! I'm glad my son, eight at the time, got to spend an afternoon and evening with them, too. He was born when I was near 44 , so all the other friends' kids, except one other, were too old to come to a "parents party".

[Shakespeare]

11. There's one I'd give anything to find: J. Marc Bailey

We were close friends in high school, and then for the first few years of college, too (we attended the same university).

I've scoured the internet, and can't find a trace of him. He's been on my mind a lot lately, and I recently came across a beautiful letter he wrote me during the summer after our freshman year in college. We didn't have a falling out; just drifted apart and lost touch, and I still regret that.

You're very fortunate to have found your friend again - treasure that.

[StellaBlue]

12. I am having one come back right now

From ten years ago.

Very welcome, too.

[In_The_Wind]

13. Yes.

Last summer my best friend called after 3 years of not speaking. I'm so glad she did because she was a big part of my life since 1972.


Last Sunday, I became the ghost to reappear in someone else's life. I called my ex college boyfriend. After I broke-up with him, he left me a letter asking me to call him in 20 years. I was only 8 years late. He said he called so many wrong numbers trying to find me.