"Jesus, I thought it was someone else. Glad it's you. Long time! How are you?"
"Fine. I'm passing through, thought I'd give you a call and see if we could get together."
"Sure, great!" They arranged to meet for an early breakfast as Jason was flying out the next day.
In the morning, Joe spotted Jason at a corner table in the Ilikai.
"You're looking good, man." Jason had a strong build when he was in high school. He'd put on additional bulk and projected an air of invincible solidity. His hair was closely trimmed; his clothes were casual and elegant.
"You too," Jason said. His blue eyes twinkled. "What's it been? Twenty years?"
"Close to it," Joe said. "I love that tape of Chesapeake Bay chanteys, by the way."
"We had fun with it," Jason said.
Joe slid into a chair. "It was nice hearing your voice—got me across
North Dakota and Montana last year."
"Just a foc'sle tenor," Jason said and explained that he was on his way home from Singapore—a conference on Data Protocols for the 21st Century. "We gave a paper," he said. "My colleague flew back the other way; she has family in Amsterdam."