When I was a kid my parents shared me. When I was eleven I returned to New York and was enrolled in Catholic school. My first day I was nervous that no one would talk to me; so nervous in fact I took my Game Boy with me, for I was certain I would have no friends on the first day. During recess I played my Game Boy and a girl came up to me and asked to play with it, to which I replied, "Sure, for 25 cents a game" and thus began our friendship. Not only did I make a lifelong friend on my first day at a new school, I also made $1.50! We were inseparable. We went to school, my house, school, and my house...okay, so we weren't actually allowed to go anywhere, but we went nowhere together.
By our 8th grade we were old enough to hang out a bit, so we decided to head to Fordham Road to buy some knock off golf caps and have a slice. On our way back home I decided to be blind and she was my guide. There was no reason for this, we just were that goofy. We laughed all the time. Sometimes we'd be laughing so long that we were laughing at laughing and we'd start laughing harder because we forgot why we started laughing to begin with. We simply clicked. So you can imagine my joy when her boyfriend called to inform me that they were coming to visit me. I haven't seen this woman in 10 years. I was ecstatic.
Last week when she arrived it was like we'd never been apart. Immediately we're laughing, and I swear there wasn't anything really that funny. I think we were just delirious being around each other. It was wonderful having my childhood friend visit and meet my children (whom she fell in love with, duh!). We went to the zoo where she impressed me by climbing a wall, and that's also where we saw two turtles making it and cracked up because we could hear the shells colliding with each thrust. (My kids got a lesson in life that day). Later that day we went to the Aquarium (her treat to me and the children) where her boyfriend proceeded to give us a tour which was really him reading the signs to us. Yep, that cracked us up too. The following day we hunted all over the tri-county area in search of an inexpensive gaming console in nearby pawn shops for her boyfriend. That was followed by Korean BBQ and a bar/lounge that wasn't popular yet, and we were just arriving at last call. The day hadn't gone as planned, yet somehow we were still cracking up and having a blast.
My friends' presence woke something in me. I'm not sure what exactly, because it's been dormant for so long, but it came back to life and I realized how much I missed it. I missed really laughing and being myself. I missed having a totally equal friendship where all of my considerations are reciprocated. For example; Ten years ago, it was her who came to visit me; Then, About 6 years ago, she had a connecting flight, she called and said she'd be getting off the plane to spend some time with me; Then of course, this time, she not only came to visit, she included my children in her plans, wanting to know them. We truly just enjoy the company of one another. Seeing my friend not only reminded me of when we were kids, it also reminded me of the friendship that I'll always have for my entire life. And that's something I look forward to.
