When Lyndsey met Sali

Despite my shameful sloth in connecting people with the experiences they purchased at Poetry 2008 Experiential Auction at Atomic Cowboy, some of the experience donors and buyers are forging their own connections.

John Eiler purchased Lyndsey Scott's experience of an art happening in her studio that results in the creation of a hero doll. At the time, he planned on doing it as an art party for his 5-year-old daughter, Claire.

Since then, we learned that his 20-year-old daughter, Marcella Sali Grace, was raped and killed in Mexico.

Now, he sees the experience as another opportunity to honor Sali, and the hero doll they will create will be Sali hero doll.

Last night, John and I were headed to The Stable to discuss a statement to the press about Sali's death and the status of the case against her confessed killer. Lyndsey's studio is right down Cherokee Street, so I called and invited her to join us so we could show her the memorial John prepared for his daughter.

Lyndsey answered her phone and said she was already on her way to The Stable for dinner. Life has been like that for me, lately. Either coincidences are in the air, or this is just a small town.

After we had a beer and shared a delicious jerk chicken pizza, we went out onto the patio, opened up John's laptop and showed Lyndsey the photomontage of this young woman who lived so many lives in such a short time. I sketched Lyndsey's face ash she watched the tribute to Sali.

She was awed, as people tend to be when they consider the girl we had and the girl we lost.

"Tonight," Lyndsey said, "I met Sali. I am just getting to know her. It's nice to know her."