Good Friends

Over the weekend I traveled back to my hometown to help some friends move. These friends are mother and daughter and only the daughter was aware that we were coming to help. As we pulled up and got out out of the car, we hear this voice yelling "I'm going to kill you both!". What a welcome huh? And it was. You see, these aren't just friends, they're family and that voice threatening to kill us belongs to the mother. To respect their privacy, we'll call her D and the daughter is A.

A and I met when we were 12 years old. Although we didn't even like each other at first, once we actually started talking, we quickly became friends. We discovered that we shared the same birthday and jokingly began referring to ourselves as twins. But, what started out as a joke, became truer than we could have known. No, we weren't really twins separated at birth, but the sixteen years since we met have definitely made us sisters.

A and I have been there for each other through the craziness of high school, the excitement of prom and band trips, graduation, the beginning of our adult lives, boyfriends, a nightmare college roommate, tragedies, celebrations, you get the picture. We are very lucky to have stayed so close when other friends have drifted away. A knows more about me than any other person on Earth, which is why I try not to piss her off. Just kidding. In sixteen years, of course we've had a few disagreements, but A has never spilled my secrets. She's loyal, understanding, caring, and willing to listen, everything you want in a best friend. She's also incredibly smart and determined. And no one has a bigger heart when it comes to animals. A and I can look at each other and have an entire conversation without saying a word. It's fun and convenient for us, but it drives everyone else nuts.

D is A's mother, but she's also become a Mom to me. D was the 'cool Mom' that every kid wants. She was a mother and didn't put up with any stuff, but she somehow managed to be a friend and someone you felt comfortable talking to as well. D never made me feel like a dumb, pesky kid. Not to mention, this woman is hilarious and so much fun.

When A and I were in seventh grade, D agreed to take us to the mall for a local radio station's back to school bash. This particular bash featured the Backstreet Boys who were just starting out back then, as well as Andrew Keegan. D nearly got knocked down as a hundred teenage girls made a mad dash for the Backstreet Boys when they came in. Then as she stood on the fringes waiting for A and I to complete our droolfest, some nice person on the second level decided D looked a bit warm and dumped soda on her head. Most people would have gotten a little steamed at this point, but D muttered a few choice words and laughed it off. As we were leaving the mall, we were rear ended. Most people would have flipped, but D was calm enough to joke with the cops that she was only 25. To this day, D jokes that the Backstreet Boys are to blame and she swears she can't stand them. To this day,A and I are still fans and love to tease D about coming to another concert with us.

And that's another wonderful thing about being so close to A and D for so long.  We have these inside jokes, these stories and these experiences. Someone else can say something completely innocent and A, D, and I burst out laughing because it reminds us of something else. We know which areas are touchy subjects and not to be discussed in front of others. We know each others fears and wishes, likes and dislikes. It's wonderful to have people who are that close to you.  I am so grateful to have A and D in my life, I don't know where I'd be without them.