Out There Somewhere

A couple of days ago, a thought popped violently int my mind.  "Oh no!  It's Amy's birthday and I almost missed it!  Must wish her a happy birthday right now!"  And then I stopped, took a beat, and realized, no, Amy's birthday was last month and I did indeed wish her a happy birthday like I always do.  I have no idea why that incorrect thought almost bowled me over, but it did make me think of our mutual friend, Heather, and the fact that her birthday really was coming up.  And it is, in fact, today.

Amy, Sarah, Heather, and I were the best of friends in high school.  We did everything together, including devising an elaborate punking (although we're older than that, so we would have used some other word) of all of our guy friends over the course of a single night.  We even gave it a name.  We were a squad before Taylor Swift made it popular.  Heather and I went off to the same college, which was a godsend because our school was huge and overwhelming and we needed each other as a safe, known place.  But then junior year, Heather joined a sorority, and, look, I have nothing against sororities.  I think they are positive organizations and help a lot of women find their people.  But in this case, Heather joining a sorority meant that she stepped farther and farther away from me.  Call it growth or time or whatever, but by the time graduation rolled around, I hadn't seen her in at least a year even though she lived across the sidewalk from me.

We saw each other once more, at our 10 year reunion, and for awhile we were Facebook friends until she went away from that, too, so I don't know where she is or what she's doing.  And I wish I did.  I miss our friendship.  She was a tiny little ballerina and a ball of fire all wrapped up in one package.  I'm happy to say that Amy and I still live near each other, and love to get our kids together (our oldest boys are just a few months apart) and hang out.  Sarah and I are many states apart, but when we talk on the phone, hours pass like minutes and it's like there's no distance at all.  But I miss our fourth.  So on her birthday, I send her all the good wishes I can.

Heather, I hope you get your pumpkin pie with a candle in it.