Absolute Best Friend

My best friend Kim and I were a couple of square pegs that shared a crush for a blue-eyed skater boy, and a desire to be noticed. The crush passed, and Kim and I began plotting a path to popularity. Looking back, it was all so silly, but the journey made us best friends forever. It was an adventure that I am shocked we survived. From one dangerous turn to the next we are so lucky to have made it through alive and well. I met a boy in a band that practiced in a storage facility that was a common place for bands to practice at that time. Any given weekend you could find several bands playing around trying to hone their craft. It was the eighties and long-haired boys with skinny slick pants playing their way towards unlimited drugs and girls was a common goal for most of the musically inclined. We planned a weekend party to end all parties. The invitation was a flyer strung across our high school campus. Our contribution was three trashcans filled with punch, spiked with 180 proof Everclear. Once we ran out of punch (and we did run out fast) Kim and I had a couple of college boys drive us to the liqueur store. We rode in the back of a truck for safety purposes; it made good sense at the time. After the boys bought us more Everclear, we dared each other to take a swig of the liquor straight up. I imagine that is what getting shot in the chest feels like. It knocked me over and I almost fell out of the truck bed. More than a minute passed without the feeling of air entering my lungs. I am not sure how many times we came close to death that night, but the party was a smash hit. Unfortunately, no one really knew we were the host; no one even knew who we were. The bands gained a new following and however depth-less their intentions, their immense talent thrived. This was the start of a trend in our lives; one which grew into hit local businesses for booking and promoting much later in life.

After surviving our misguided youth, Kim and I have shared thirty-five years of milestones. Through marriage, children, divorce and a second marriage for her, we have stayed connected. Over the years Kim and I have shared so many adventures and some deep heart brakes. She helped me pack my ex-husband's things when I discovered he was having an affair. She was the one who finally made a nurse bring my newborn daughter to me after my emergency c-section. I babysat for her while she did her Christmas shopping and partied with her through the heartbreak of her first marriage. While our children were young, we stayed on the phone most nights and chatted through our household chores. We live on opposite ends of town and take turns visiting each other. Sometimes our visits tend to get fewer and further between, but we always catch up and when we do it is like no time has passed. She is one of the few people I have stayed in touch with. Kim influences my life in so many ways. She has always encouraged me to embrace my talents and never toss the good ones aside. I come from an abusive family that tears me down, tries to control me, and constantly ridicules me. You cannot choose the family you are born with, but you can choose to make a family with your friends. We have had so many adventures throughout the decades, and I’ll most likely grow older and wrinkly with her. I look forward to big floppy hats and spiked tea on the front porch with my absolute best friend for life.