(For the girl I lit the candles for)

My first year in Philadelphia, I placed a map on my office wall.  On it, I marked down the locations of where my cases occurred.  It was pretty much everywhere.  By the end of the year, the map was completely marked up.  I didn’t get a new one.  That was the one and only year I implemented this practice.

The map didn’t just cover Philadelphia, but also adjoining areas.  Including Princeton.  Always a bit geographically challenged, I finally realized you were just an hour away.  And that was super cool and hopeful. 

Philadelphia wasn’t an easy experience – dangerous, didn’t really know anyone, difficult work and colleagues, but knowing you were somewhat nearby was comforting.

Recently, I thought of these geographic coincidences we have had.  I could have gone to a much better school than the University of Maryland, but for many reasons out of my control, I end up there.  But I got to meet and know you.  That Digene job, right next door to your house.  And Bloomington, it made me smile that you were born there.  And Georgetown, that first year summer when we were in the same vicinity.  And Philadelphia, I interviewed all over the US, and end up there. And even now.

One time, I went up on a whim to Princeton with my friend.  I was in an EMT class at the time and she was visiting.  I told her a bit about you and she egged me on to visit you.  So we drove up.  And we found you.  At the Philadelphia Marathon that you ran, I just trusted my instincts to find you in a crowd of thousands.  And I did.

I got to walk with you several times.  To me, it was serenity on earth.  You probably didn’t feel the same way, but to me it was walking with an angel.  This one time when I visited, one of your friends was looking me up and down.  In the street, we call it something a bit profane, so I’ll leave it at that.  My guess is she was wondering – who is this idiot?  I didn’t care.  I got to walk with a beautiful girl at one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.  I would be so happy driving back home.  The next morning too, but it was now more of a bittersweet, achy feeling.

And in Boston, I did think of you more than at Fenway.