Strange coincidence

I've just spent the past four days in Burlington, Vermont, attending the Northeast Regional A∆K Convention. The city was beautiful, the weather was perfect, the convention was enjoyable although hectic.

Something strange happened at our final night's banquet, though, that made the convention especially memorable and kind of, well, weird.

We 250 attendees were assigned at random to tables set for eight or ten. My table number on my banquet ticket said "23," so I promptly made my way to table 23 in the huge banquet hall. I was the first to arrive at that table.

Soon a lady arrived and sat on my right. We introduced ourselves. She told me her name is Margaret. I said I've always liked that name and, in fact, have a niece named Margaret. She went on to tell me her name is an old family name: her grandmother was Margaret, her mother was Margaret, even her mother-in-law was Margaret.

Then the lady who would sit to my left arrived. She said her name is Elaine. I said I"d easily remember her name because my best friend, K through 12, is named Elaine.

The official photographer for the convention arrived at our table once it was fully seated. After the photographer had snapped a group, she passed around a sheet of paper for us to sign, so the photo would have the proper names attached to it.

(Meanwhile, Margaret, realizing she was actually assigned table #22, not 23, ditched us and left in search of her correct table. The tables were not arranged in chronological order, which made Margaret's task that much harder, I'm sure.)

The paper was passed around the table. Finally it reached Elaine, to my left. She signed her first and last name, then passed the paper to me.

I gasped. Elaine had written "Elaine Spencer."

Elaine Spencer was the first and last name of my best friend, K through 12.

I've owed the childhood friend Elaine an e-mail since April. I can't wait to tell her I sat next to her, or a lady claiming to be her, at the A∆K banquet!