A Chance Encounter

When I parted ways with my therapist Kathryn last year, I knew there might be a time in the future when we would run into each other. After all, it’s not such a big city and we do have some common acquaintances.

But as I stood up to sing Ma Tovu at this morning’s Torah service and looked out at the congregation, I was totally unprepared to see none other than Kathryn front and center. I surmised that the balding guy with the funny reading glasses to her right was her husband Richard. She didn’t make eye contact, but I was fairly sure she had recognized me, too.

Kathryn had provided much-needed help over the course of 6 months or so last year. I had complained bitterly about her propensity to bury her head in a notebook thereby avoiding eye contact, to the point that she eventually did away with the notebook. I balked at her insistence on paying for a weekly appointment, even when you were on vacation. I hated her hugless policy which didn’t permit even a handshake at the end of the session. But despite her tendency to go by the book, she was of enormous help to me and we ended our therapy relationship on a positive note.

As I observed her in the congregation this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder: Why is she here? Does she know the Bar Mitzvah family? Will she shake my hand? Should I introduce her to my husband? Should our former relationship be a secret? She actually looked a little sad, a little older, and she seemed disconnected from the service, not being a Jew although she is married to one.

After the service concluded, I approached her to be greeted by a big smile and a sincere handshake. She seemed just like any other long-lost friend.

I did mention my strange encounter to our rabbi Toby who had a good laugh over it, commenting that you can never be too sure who you’re going to run into on a Saturday morning.