Tempus fugit

This morning, I opened an email from a friend who said,

Do you remember where you had lunch twenty-five years ago today?

I thought — huh?  What kind of question is that?

Nonsense.

Then later today, as I heard (not for the first time this week) that twenty-five years

ago today was the day the space shuttle Challenger  exploded, I understood.

And I responded to her email — yes, yes, we were in a cafe near Wake Forest University,

there was a tv over the bar …

Twenty-five years.

Twenty five.

Years.