m: ‘i’m finished with class and just working, so let me know when you’re ready to go.’

me: ‘come now!!!! )))’

m: ‘coming out now.’

(i shut down my computer, pack up, walk upstairs, chit chat with colleagues, look out the door for m – my loyal carpool partner. who works in our high school, while i work in our kindergarten. we coordinate schedules each day. our buildings are one minute away from each other. we share a campus. we share rides to and from school. we share a friendship and a level of understanding each other, developed over hours spent together in a car, as willing captive audience members. i mill around. chit chat some more. visit two classrooms. look out window. more time passes. i check my phone to see if she got waylaid along the way.)

i look down and see this:

m: ‘you drove. right?’

oh.

yes, yes i did.

i head to my car,

(without further milling or chatting or texting),

it’s waiting in my parking lot,

right where i left it this morning,

to pick up m.

we make eye contact.

m gets in the car.

we realize that each of us was waiting to be picked up by the other.

it could have been a very long wait.

one drove.

one did not.

we leave. we wind down from the day. we laugh.

one of us got confused today.

we don’t name names.