We'll Meet Again

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Narrator

Tom de Chachio is also drawing closer in his search for the friend whose acceptance changed his life almost 50 years ago. He's driving up to Klamath, a small coastal town where Marla is the registered owner of a post office box. -

Tom

Klamath is where a lot of hippies and counterculture people settled. If that is indeed Marla, it would kind of make sense. -

Narrator

Since the late '60s, the area has been a haven for nonconformists. Many have started their own farms and live off the grid. In a town of just 800 people, Tom hopes that Marla will be well known to locals. Looking around and there's not a lot of people to even ask, from the looks of things.

But we'll find out. -

Narrator

Tom's first encounter is with a local businesswoman who knows many people in the area. This is Marla playing a guitar. Ring any bells? It doesn't, I'm so sorry.

That does speak to how this is a good place to not be found, necessarily, a good place to be by yourself and wander the true natural wonders of the world. Which makes it all the more mysterious. Did she want to get off the grid or did she want to just be with other people like herself? -

Narrator

With few people around, finding Marla in Klamath is turning out to be more difficult than Tom imagined. His only concrete lead now is the P.O. Box registered in Marla's name. Tom doesn't even know if it's still in use, let alone when Marla last checked it.

So he asks for help in the post office. Well... Yeah, she knows her, and yes, she's around here. The lady in the post office said she's quite a character, and right away my ears lit up, so I said, well that's Marla.

She's still a homeless person and I wasn't expecting this. I'm flabbergasted that she lived this long living in her car. When you have a friend that's meant so much to you, you wonder if you could've done a little bit more to help her. But Marla is Marla, and this is the perfect, perfect place in the world, I guess for her.

I'm writing a post card to Marla and I thought I would drop it off in the post office box. I'm nervous about it. This is the last stop, it would seem, so, I certainly hope something happens here. -

Narrator

Tom's message to his old friend, the first ever keeper of his secret, has been delivered. All he can do now is wait and hope.