For 38 years, Bonnie Ludwig knew one of her best friend?s handwriting, but not his voice.
When she was 14, her teacher started her writing to a pen pal in England, and they kept it up throughout their lives without ever meeting in person.
That changed last week, when the Carroll County resident hugged Andy French in Florida.
“Needless to say, I jumped out of the car and got completely excited,” Ludwig said.
She said she?d dreamed of that moment for weeks.
French, 54, from Harlow, England, took a trip with his wife and two daughters 4,000 miles to Disney World in Florida, and Ludwig, 53, and her husband flew 500 miles to meet them.
On Thursday, they all went out for dinner, and to prepare, Ludwig read most of the 130 letters she received from Andy throughout the years.
French?s first letter, in March 1969, is seven small pages, and reads: “I don?t like cheats, liars, homework, tapioca pudding, unhappy people, or people who always complain about the youth of today and how perfect they were when they were young, who are they trying to fool!”
Ludwig and French married and started families at similar times, sometimes writing every few years, sometimes every few weeks. English rock music, such as The Rolling Stones and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, was their first similarity.
French?s teenage picture remains in Ludwig?s wallet, among other family members.
“He probably thought I was a real freak, carrying his picture around, and I was like, ?It?s my family,?” she said. “I?m an only child, so if I have a brother abroad, that?s OK.”
She?s going to start writing an e-mail to French that he?ll read when he returns to England next week.
Of meeting her longtime pen pal, she said, “It was a much better experience than I ever thought.”
