On a September day in 1976, a little girl boarded my school bus and took a seat at the very front. I was 10 years old, and she was about 8. She had just moved into the house next door, and I hadn't yet made her acquaintance. The following day, she boarded the school bus just after me. I said to her, "you can sit with me, if you want to";and she did.
From this day forward, Catrina and I had become the best of friends. The long days of summer seemed never-ending as we played together from dusk til dawn. There were lots of pajama parties between us. I can recall many nights we'd lie awake telling stories and giggling throughout the late night hours. We were as close as any two friends could ever be.
In 1978, Catrina and her family moved to Central New York. The move was so sudden, that I wasnt even able to get a forwarding address, to stay in touch with her. Though she was miles away, she never left my heart. I missed my best friend. After the sudden death of Catrina's mother in 1980, she moved back to the North Country, to live with other family members. Our friendship immediately blossomed again, and it was as though we had never been apart.
As we entered into our highschool years, each of our lives went in different directions. Aside from the occasional get-together at school functions, each of us had formed new bonds with new friends. Our college years came and went. Marriages happend and babies were born.
It wasn't until we were both well into adulthood, with families of our own, that fate brought those two little girls back together, once more. The ever-lasting bond that Catrina and I share, is forever etched in our souls. Like two kindred spirits destined to always be as one. Even though we secretly get on each others nerves from time to time, there is always an unspoken resolve that shall never truly keep us apart. That is what TRUE friendship is. |
