a little letter.

ben is my friend.

we are both from houston. and we both like mexican food.

we met the summer after our junior year. in chicago. not houston. (go figure).

ben was my prom date. it was 80's themed. he wore a blue t-shirt with a gray blazer. and yes, the collar was popped. i wore a metallic blue dress that i had gotten off of ebay. (and so much eye-shadow that i will never speak of it again).

and then ben and i both went to juilliard.

i've blogged about him before. because he's funny. and he makes me laugh.

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the week before i left for my three-month-summer-sojourn i got to see ben quite a bit. there's something about spending time with a person who's known you for a while. who comes from the same place. and shares the same love of food.

we talked about how i was on a saturday morning flight to houston. and ben on a flight to los angeles that same day. we talked about this several times. (at least three) but never mentioned the time of the flight or from the airport from which we'd be flying.

i was on a terribly early flight--a flight that only i would choose.

i remember being unbelievably afraid that morning. walking out of the apartment. the cab to the airport. my god, what was i doing?

getting through security. rolling my large suitcase. panicked heart-beats.

and arriving at the gate. at something like six in the morning.

and i looked over. and there across the sea of blue seats was ben. head-cocked, looking at me.

and i laughed. because he'd chosen the crack-of-dawn-flight too. and he'd gotten there even earlier than me. kindred spirits we are. yes, he was off to la, but he was catching a connecting flight through houston. go figure.

ben's presence that morning (and the surprise of it) was a little gift of some higher power. to calm my breathing. and remind me that we're given what exactly what is needed, exactly when we need it.

we talked our way into neighboring seats. and as i began the first leg of my journey, i did so with a friend.

ben was off to la because he got this little job. doing a television show. no big deal. he's the lead, but whatever. and it's on nbc following the office, but you know, that's life.

i've seen the pilot. and i must say the show is lovely and funny and so well done. and ben is gorgeous in it. absolute perfection.

i'm most excited for the people-magazine-spread about him that is sure to come. because they always dig up high-school prom photos (and need i remind you that we went to prom together?).

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i suppose this is an open love letter to ben. a thanks for his friendship. (despite kinda ditching him at the dance, despite the hard years of school, despite my hermetic tendencies).

ben, darling, i'm so proud of you.

and sorry ladies, he's taken. and not by me.

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watch ben on outsourced this thursday. 9:30/8:30 central.

(ps: i totally have a crush on the guy playing "man-meat")