A month ago, I had a psychic experience. If it wasn’t, it certainly felt like one. And it is so interesting that I have to write about it. But this story starts 20 years ago while I was at university.

I spent most of my Arts degree with a good-looking bloke called Terry, who was a law student. I met him at uni, but I can’t recall how. Maybe we were introduced by mutual friends, maybe we met one night while we were out at the same venue. Anyway, the point is we did meet. We spent a couple of years hanging out (even though he had a girlfriend!), then we just fizzled and moved off to live our respective lives. I hadn’t really given him much thought over the past 20 years.

So. Flash forward to a month ago when I was driving to work. I caught a glimpse of someone walking along North Terrace, and the person I saw bore such a strong resemblance to Terry, that I had to look twice. And as much as it looked like him, it wasn’t. I vaguely remember dreaming about him that night, and woke wondering about him and what he was up to.

The next day, I was driving to work and got to nearly the same spot on North Terrace and I saw him. It was Terry. It was actually him. He was having a conversation with a woman on the footpath. I felt something shift inside me, like the universe was trying to tell me something. I got to work and was quite shaken by the experience. I told my colleagues and they joked that if I dreamed about numbers could I please tell them, so they could buy lottery tickets. What I couldn’t believe, though, was something that I had thought about one day would actually happen the next.

If I’d actually had my wits about me, I would have tooted and waved, and crossed my fingers that he recognised me. But I didn’t, and I thought I had missed an opportunity. Until few weeks later, that is, when I saw him again. I had stopped in my car at the pedestrian lights, and I again saw him walking along the footpath on North Terrace. I did toot and wave, and I saw the flash of recognition on his face. He waved back, surprised. Over the next week, I saw him a couple of times, and when I could, I tooted and waved.

I thought that was the extent of this weird experience, but it wasn’t.

We have this thing at work called Sushi Friday, where a few of us walk up to Bank Street and grab a feed of sushi, then head back to work to eat it. Two weeks ago no one wanted sushi except me. I cajoled my boss into getting some (even though he had brought his lunch), and we decided to walk up to the Myer Centre because he wanted to check out some phone accessories anyway. Walking back to work along Hindley Street (Rundle Mall end), who should we bump into, but Terry! We stopped and chatted for 5 minutes, and he acknowledged that he had recognised me when I was in my car. He ended up giving me his business card and we promised we’d be in touch. I was taken aback and intrigued by the set of circumstances that had wrangled our meeting. Time and distance had been added to my usual lunch time journey, which had somehow ensured we would met up.

We emailed back and forth over that week, promising to catch up at some time in the future. A small part of me thought: well it’s nice to see him, but we won’t actually catch up properly. And, I thought: that’s that, then.

Or so I thought!

Last week, I was running 10 minutes late for work. This is interesting in and of itself: I am never late. On this occasion, though, I had forgotten to bring a DVD with me that I was going to show my students, so I had to go home and get it. Again, driving along North Terrace, who should I see but Terry? Surprised, I mimed at him to call me. He did. That morning. And we are going to have a proper chat next week.

Pooh-poohers will say that dear old Adelaide is a small place, and we were bound to meet up with each other at some point. I agree. But what is curious and intriguing is the circumstances and the chain of coincidences that have orchestrated this meeting. From where I’m sitting, this is too interesting a trail not to follow. The universe, for whatever reason, really wants us to talk.

Image by fszalai from Pixabay