I had a most interesting, if somewhat puzzling, conversation with one of my oldest and dearest friends today.

I had a message on my voice mail from L, whom I first met at 4-H camp when we both were 14. But we became fast friends as roommates and sorority sisters in college. We shared our good times and our heartaches. When each of us married, we were one another's honor attendant.

We have only had sporadic contact since then, the last time being four years ago at my ex-husband's funeral.

When her first husband began having an affair with his assistant, she called me. I spent two days with her helping her paint a house he had bought in another town for the children and her.

It seems whenever something momentous has happened in our lives, we have always gravitated back to one another.

When I spoke today with her, she said she had been doing some soul searching about who she really is.

"And you're part of who I am," she said. "I want to get back in touch with those people who are important to me. I would love for us to get together for lunch sometime."

"Anytime, L. Just give me a call."

"How about next week? My granddaughter has a basketball game in Yukon Monday at six (Yukon is a suburb of Oklahoma City). We could meet about 1 p.m. for lunch if you are free then."

I was a bit shocked at the urgency, but I said that would be fine.

So, we agreed on Ted's Monday.

I relayed the conversation to my daughter and she remarked,

"When a really old friend calls you out of the blue and makes a statement like that, she has something on her mind."

L lives in the town where we went to college with her second husband, with whom I think she is quite happy. So, I really can't imagine what she might want to talk about.

I guess I'll find out Monday.