Dear Yoko Tomita,
Its been nearly five years since I met you halfway across the world, and though I am sure I will never see you again, I hope you someday Google yourself and find this.
You didn't know you were saving my life when you met me, but I did. I was lost and miserable, full of disapointment and doubt. I traveled thousands of miles to see someone, only to be betrayed the moment I stepped through their door. I wandered off. I wandered Peru like a ghost.
The first time I saw you I thought to myself: "Who is this girl? Is she going to be alright on her own? Does she need me?"
You didn't speak Spanish, barely seemed to speak English, and you were a young woman traveling all alone in South America. My head was so pumped with paranoia I felt strangely protective.
Then you stepped out of the airport shuttle van and I realized I'd probably never see you again.
The second time I saw you I was on a train, 4 days into my Cusco adventure, and starting to feel the ache of loneliness.
When I saw you an aisle away from me, my heart nearly lept out of my chest. Just to recognize someone. Just to be recognized.
From that moment on, I started believing in the universe again. Maybe it had plans beyond my humiliation and existential defeat after all.
Your English was great, in fact, and whatever trouble you had translating your thoughts only made me fall in love with you. You were spirited, open, intelligent, funny and kind. You helped me laugh at my terrible vacation, at myself, at my own stupid romantic heart that got me there in the first place.
And the reason I laughed, the reason all of that was okay, was because I knew instantly that you loved me too.We never left each other's side
You saved me twice; on the ground and in the sky. First you rescued me from loneliness on that train, and then you saved me again when I followed you halfway up a mountain and caught vertigo.
I swear to God I thought I would die on Wayna Picchu. I never would have even attempted to climb it if not for you, and I never would have reached the top if you hadn't kept the gravity at bay. It felt like something was going to pull me right off the edge.
But whatever it was, you stopped it. You helped me get on my feet and climb without dying. I did something I didn't know I was capable of that day. I spent thirty minutes in the clouds with you. I transformed.
Before Peru, I was a miserable 25 year old struggling not to hate myself. I felt powerless and defeated.
I am not the same man today. I was reborn on that mountain. You changed my life. That mountain gave me my power back, and I've used it to reshape my world, my happiness, my whole identity. And you were witnesss.
I know we lost touch. I hope you are happy in Japan. I hope you are an.amazing chemist. I want you to know that I never forgot about you. I wrote down your words and when I read them again for the first time in 5 years I burst into tears. You have no idea how special you are.
I wish I would have kissed your lips before we parted ways, but I chose not to send you back to your boyfriend feeling guilty. Still. The me of today would have had no reservations. I wish he could travel back in time and switch places... because he'll probably never find you again.
Some people float into our lives for a few moments and save us. Moments later, they are gone. Disappeared. They are Good Samaritans. Guardian Angels. They live between the tics of a second and vanish when time catches up.
I was fortunate to find you during such a difficult time -- between two tics of a second. Wherever you are, I'm sure you are still brave, emotional, and full of so much precious light. And whoever gets to see that everyday is luckier than they could ever realize.
Thank you, Yoko.
Love,
Drew
