Letter One – Oldest Friend

 Dear You – 

 
You’ve been on my mind a lot lately.  I remember the first time we met.  I had just saved Chris from some bullies, and had walked him home.  You were hanging out with his older brother, Pat.  It was a beautiful summer day, we were 11, and the world was ours.  We hated each other on sight.  The pinecone war saw to that.  It took 6 months and a Dungeons and Dragons campaign for us to talk to each other without you hissing and saying "back witch" everytime you saw me in the hallway at school.  
 
Silly how those things stick out in the memory, isn’t it?  
 
You were my first real crush, and neither one of us knew that the other one was crushing until we had already fallen into the family role.  In a lot of ways, I think that saved our friendship and helped form our bond into what it turned out to be.
 
All those years.  All those years of walking and talking, of sharing ideas and thoughts and, yes, arguing.  You always argued with me, it didn’t matter what I said, it was wrong.  Oh god that pissed me off so much… We went months without talking because of it, but we always fell back into place.  Thank you for helping me build my world, our world.  
 
I honestly don’t think I could have survived through my teens without you and your mother.  Knowing that no matter what, I had you to watch my back and I had Momma Pam to give me a place to sleep without any questions asked, that helped me survive. 
 
I wonder what memories you remember from our growing up…
 
I remember you staying at my house to play SNES, and us falling asleep in front of the t.v.  I remember watching horror movies at your place, resting on my stomach, you next to me, your mom in the recliner behind us.  She always leaned forward to tap her foot against the back of my leg during the really tense parts, just to see me scream.  I remember all the walks that we had, the hours of walking back and forth in the dark, talking and gaming.  How many dice did we sacrifice to our games?   I wonder about our dice… if any of them ever got found by gamers-in-the-making, or by other kids, doing the same thing we did… and if they continued to have adventures and stories.  
 
I have very few regrets about our friendship.  I regret that we didn’t think to write down more of our stories.  I regret that we fought as much as we did and that we didn’t see through the fights.  I regret that we walked completely different paths from Junior year on… I miss you.  And, to be totally honest, I miss the person I was when you were a part of my life.  
 
But there’s a truth that burns brighter than the regrets and the space between us… You’ll always be here for me, and I’ll always be here for you.  You’re family.  You’ll always have a home here.
 
With love,
Me.