Those Friends

I was lucky in school. Junior high and high school and even college, I had the same best friend. You know, one of those friends. The ones you find and make damn sure you keep because no one else will laugh at your jokes, or help you hide the bodies!

We met at band camp (no, not like American Pie band camp either). It was south Louisiana in August…you know, Hell. I’d just changed my instrument from flute to tuba and the other tuba player was a girl. I didn’t pay much attention to her because my middle school friends were in band as well and I knew them. I didn’t know the weird girl with the Barney shoelace holders…

Then one day we’re taking a break and the other tuba player, Angie, walks up to me and says, “You have hair like a Cocker Spaniel’s ears.”

I did. My mom had permed my hair the year before and it was growing out. It didn’t help that the baseball hat I wore most of the summer had flattened the top of my hair, leaving the ends these frizzy curls.

I looked at her and said, “Well so do you!” Which she did. She had the exact same hair style.

That was nearly 23 years ago and we’re still friends. Angie is a year older than me so she went off to high school before me and then college, but we always ended up together. It didn’t hurt that we both played tuba through high school and into college. There just aren’t that many tuba babes around, you know. We’re a rare species.

Through all of that time, we’ve mocked each other horribly, cried on each others’ shoulders, and laughed until we’ve cried. Remember last week me talking about the e-mail to the history professor? Yup, you guessed it, Angie was there.

We weren’t joined at the hip. In fact, in high school, we had our own crowds and only really talked or joked around during band. It wasn’t until college that we realized we had so much in common. She’s my romance reading buddy, my plot hole finder, and yes, she has mocked ideas I’ve had for my books. I ended up not giving my minotaurs in Ain’t No Bull septum piercings when they’re born because of her. She sent me a very disturbing picture to make fun of my idea.

She’s my best friend. We may not see each other as much as we used to. We may not talk or e-mail each other every day, but I know when I need her, she’s there and I hope she knows the same applies for her.

Advertisement