Howard Johnsons.

The world is small. I met a woman who is the sister of an old friend of mine from high school. And seeing her brought back such a fun memory!

Amy and I were great friends. She was quirky and adorable and fun. Smart, too. She, like me, didn’t really fit any particular mold. We were 15 years old.

She was a lifeguard in the summer. I’d hang out with her at the pool. We talked about boys (what else?) and everything else. Good times.

And then one day.

My brother (or Amy or me – I can’t remember!) suggested that we all go out for a bite to eat.

We decided to dress a little weird. And to go to the Howard Johnson’s on York Road in Towson. No one in Towson knew us. It was only 10 miles away, but it was another world.

But here’s the rest of the story. We decided to pretend we didn’t speak English.

We had the best time. We laughed and had a blast.

Now, looking back. I’m absolutely sure that we were totally transparent. That we looked like silly kids acting out.

But it was a blast and the memory lives on….