Thursday, June 28, 2012

Eden

I've never told you about my oldest friend, and that's a pity.

My mom and her mom were part of the same running crew, so we knew each other, and were apparently fond of each other, when we were both in diapers. The day I was born she was celebrating her 2nd birthday, giving us both the same birthday of September 19th.

We were kids together, and if my yenta mother's stories are any guide, we were close as kids.  I remember enjoying spending time with her, that's for sure.

When we were still young my mom's friend divorced her husband, Eden's dad, and moved to Arizona.  For eight years or so Eden existed in my life only as pleasant fragments of memory.

When I was a sophomore in high school Eden came back to live with her dad; she had a few family issues out west, and she also brought with her a tumor as big as a volleyball that she needed to have removed and wanted to do it at a Boston hospital. And so she spent her senior year back in Boston, and we reconnected and picked up exactly where we left off when I was 7.

She liked movies; we went to the movies a lot.  And she dragged me to some all-time stinkaroos.  Anyone remember Xanadu?  Or the reunion of Travolta and Newton-John in Two of a Kind? Or how about that sterling Sly Stallone/Dolly Parton matchup called Rhinestone? Yeah, it was exactly as bad as it sounds.  However it was she who similarly dragged me to The Princess Bride, which remains one of my favorite movies.

We had coffee and smoked cigarettes at Denny's; we shared secrets; we helped each other through adolescence. When her boyfriend broke her heart, she called me. When my drama queen girlfriend was tearing my heart out, I called her.

We were tight.

She is the most incredibly optimistic person I've ever met in my life.  And with the shitty things that have happened to her, she would have been completely justified in turning into a cynical douchebag, hating the world and all the miserable bastards who crawl upon it. But instead she chose a positive path and that positivity just oozes out of every inch of her.  For years it was she I turned to when all around was dark and I needed a little uplifting.

I held the chupa at her wedding; gave the bride's toast, in fact. I killed, if anyone's wondering. Had 'em rolling in the aisles. This all despite the fact that just about a week earlier, I had broken my wrists and gave said toast with casts on both my arms.

But, you know how it is; life gets in the way sometimes. She went to college a million miles away, when transatlantic phone rates were ridiculously expensive, then went back to Arizona and started a family.  I got married, got a job, and was doing my own thing.  We'd talk a few times a year, wish each other happy birthday on the same day, and that was about it.

Drift, drift, drift, and before you know it, she was over the horizon.

But I just talked to her - out of the blue she reached out to me on the Eff Bee and I called her. And with no god as my judge it was like we last spoke yesterday.  We spoke for the better part of an hour and at the end of that I realized just how much I've missed her. I also noted with a little shock and a little embarrassment that her oldest child is going off to college and I haven't met any of them. And that has to change.

So I think, if I can get this through Tootsie, I'm going to go see her the next time there's a blogger meet-up in Vegas, and kill two birds with one stone.  Because I do want to meet all you happy assholes in person, I really do; you occupy a bigger piece of me than you might think. And I need to see Eden again, to cajole her into maybe smoking a little reefer for old times' sake, to find some shitty diner and drink bad coffee for six hours - and maybe once again be a little bit bigger part of her life than I am now.

I want my friend back, and this is something I think I'm going to have to do. So keep me in the loop for the next time, because now I've got plans to make.

Because I miss my friend, and that can't continue.



Eden and her brother Jason, whom I also knew when, and with whom I've had a lot of laughs


15 comments:

  1. Another September baby!
    So your parents got drunk and screwed during a big new years part too huh?

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    1. Actually no - I was supposed to be an August birthday. I was 5 weeks late. I came out of the womb fully clothed.

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  2. As you could see, this past week in Las Vegas was a blast. The December blogger gathering is a bit different, which will probably turn into a post sometime in the next few weeks.

    Dang -- she is good looking!

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    1. 1. In what way is the December gathering different?

      2. You keep your filthy mitts off of her. You hearin' me boy?

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  3. December group -- "old time" bloggers with deep established friendships. Focus on drinking, gaming other than poker

    This past week -- "newer" bloggers establishing relationships. Focus on fellowship and poker.

    And excuse me, sir -- I am a dirty old man and will leer at whomever I please whenever I please, thank you very much.

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    1. No. Your quota of my friends whom you can ogle and take swimsuit pictures of ends at ONE. Eden is made of different stuff, and I won't have your filthy shadow sullying her. Besides, god forbid you should actually meet her and fall in love and have a relationship - your heart condition means you'll probably die early and leave her by herself, and I won't have that either.

      (Too soon for heart jokes?)

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  4. My heart is fine. Been broken once or twice but otherwise is okay. And hey buddy -- in case you haven't figured it out -- it is the women who fall in love with ME. Totally understandable, of course ...

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    1. The flaw in your logic is that a woman needs to get to know you before she falls in love with you, and I'm guessing the single biggest obstacle to women loving you is them knowing you.

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  5. I just felt like someone should make a "lost in the garden of Eden" remark here.

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    1. Feel free, boss. Extra points for contriving one that hasn't been done twelve million times before.

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  6. So what you're saying is we can expect to meet in December??

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    1. Carmel, I wonder if "expect" is premature at this point. I guess a better way of putting it is, there stands a chance that I'll be there in December. But I will say this: if I do come, you and I are having nice dinner and a long chat. I promise to keep my hands to myself, especially if lamb is on the menu.

      If you are in fact wearing the lamb, though, all bets are off.

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    2. Just promise you'll like me more than ol grrrrouchie. Shouldn't be difficult since better looking. I would say less hairy but I'm Mexican :)

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    3. I will make no such promise. I rather enjoy the idea of you two fighting over my affections. Now paint my house!

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