Meeting new friends, accidentally

My former High School band director, Mr. Banda, had been urging me to meet another one of his students that lives near Big Bend National park in Terlingua, Tx. while we're here.  Melissa is a school teacher there.  Mr. Banda sent several messages, to both of us and in 5 months we had not managed to meet up in Big Bend NP or Terlingua.

So each time I'm driving through Terlingua or shopping there, I have not called or messaged her and I feel bad about it but just go on thinking she'll not have the time to just meet us at the store or a restaurant. It's always an impromptu visit.  That day we had traveled through Terlingua to Lajita, then to the state park.  And the same thoughts had run through my mind.

Starlight Theater Bar

So, after hiking Closed Cayon in the Big Bend Ranch State Park we went to Starlight theater for dinner.  We walk up to the bar and, strangely, there were 2 spots next to each other so we sit down, order drinks and chips (it's happy hour) and start to relax.  There is a woman sitting next to us drinking her water and she looks familiar, but I'm not sure why.  So, I guess that she might be the Melissa that Mr. Banda had mentioned multiple times.  Hey, we're in a tiny ghost town so..

Automatically, I'm going to Facebook, trying to look at common friends with Banda while she and I have a casual conversation about our hike in the state park.  She talks about Terlingua and why she's there.  I'm not quite to the common friends yet when she mentions she's a teacher there and, I say 'do you know a Mr. Banda?'

Accidental friends

Well, of course, she did; we laughed at the coincidence and the many times we had both thought about the other while passing through.  Anyway, it was great to finally meet Melissa, and now we can let Mr. Banda know we've met, thanks to his generous prodding!