Matchingsocks’s Weblog

(This post was written in Uganda. This girl is backdating it.)

After an incredibly touristy day that began with American pancakes for breakfast, shopping at the local crafts market and riding botas through the city, Mr. Toesocks took this girl to the fanciest restaurant in Kampala, a Belgian-French place that overlooks the shanty landscape (which is oddly beautiful and captivating) and has the best food she’s had in a while.

Over her scallop appetizers- which she has to acknowledge were really hard to come by given the landlocked nature of Uganda, - he set out asking her, seriously, how she’s been. He’d been duly worried about this girl since her big crash middle of last year, offering to fly out to hunt and maime the Fisherman for her. Mr. Toesocks has been practicing martial arts (think Muay Thai and Jujitsu) for over 20 years, so she takes his threats very seriously, especially after he moved to Africa.

She told him she was doing really well, happy- which he concurred, having now had the chance to catch up with this girl face to face and hearing and talking to her. He told her that he cares for very few people in his life and this girl happens to be one of them and that she should always remember that. And if she needed, he’d be on the next flight out to “settle” stuff for her if she just hollered.

Mr. Toesocks gave her standard “Come to Harvard” speech again and settled for this girl waiting till end of the month to make her decision. He offered to help her settle into Boston (since her choices are down to Fletcher and the still elusive Harvard). In fact, he’s offered to drive her from New York to Boston after they do the necessary shopping for furniture and other home-things. And oh, he also said he’ take her shopping for Artic-grade clothes since it’s cold 10 months out of the year in Boston. And that she shouldn’t worry too much since he’d take care of things for her. It was an offer this girl could not pass up, and is thoroughly grateful for.

Many people have made that claim to this girl, particularly over the last half year. To be fair, she doesn’t quite believe most of them; but Mr. Toesocks? She truly and deeply does and she’s insanely grateful for their friendship. He’s a gentleman, respects her, respects her space, is protective of her and has the uncanny ability to make this girl feel totally comfortable around him. And, he thinks she’s one of the smartest persons he’s met-which, alone, makes him a keeper of a friend. (this girl will take compliments any-oh way they come.) She can’t wait for him to come by for a visit later this year so all her other friends can meet him. She’s decided to set up her best girlfriends with him since he’s one heck of a catch.

As the food plied on- this girl had a gorgeously tasty ham roll thing with cheese and he had a steak- he asked for a men update which reduced her to giggles since they took this time to recount her fan club page. They are going to post photos of them so he can say she came to visit the founder and president of the club. She finally got the chance to ask him what he was thinking doing up that page and he said, simply, he thought it’d make her laugh.

And sometimes, life can be that simple. Good friends. Good food. Funny stories. And if you throw in a foreign landscape, it makes it all the better.