Seven years ago, I quit my editing job, got married and moved to Germany. As I was wrapping up my final days at the office, I promised the associate editor for one of the magazines I copyedited that I would send him a copy of the German magazine that bears his last name.
Last week, I visited the website of my old company for the very first time. I don’t know what took me so long to do it, but there you have it. Checking out the sub-domain of that magazine I copyedited, I saw that a couple years back, the associate editor had been promoted to editor. That made me happy, because I felt he was a nice guy and working with him had been very pleasant.
And then, I realized that I had never sent him the magazine I had promised exactly seven years ago. So, the very next day, I bought a copy of that week’s edition and dropped it in the mail. I figured it was the least I could do… and the last chance I have to do it. We are, after all, in the process of making plans to return to the States for good.
After recovering from the shock of the postage -- almost three times the cost of the magazine! I was rudely reminded why I don’t send anyone presents from Deutschland. Well, except to my mom at Christmas! -- I was filled with a giddy pleasure. Imagine your surprise after receiving a large envelope with a big airmail stamp on it, from a person you haven’t spoken to in seven years. And inside that envelope is a promise finally -- if belatedly -- made good on.
I hope he likes his present.
