My First Best Friend

I lost my first best friend when I was around 11 years old. Her family moved back to Ohio, but I had started to push her away long before that. The pressures of being a middle school girl, going through puberty and trying to find "your place" helped with that.

Through the years, losing touch with her was one of the greatest regrets that I had. We had formed so many impactful memories, and she genuinely made me want to be a better person. She was so bright and brilliant, even at a young age, that she secretly pushed me to want to be just as great as her.

Since the advent of social media, I have raked through pages of strangers looking for her. A few years ago I finally found her on Facebook and we were able to reconnect through the magic of the internet. Last night, we finally managed to reconnect in person, after almost 30 years. While enjoying a smooth, comforting Malbec, we caught up on the 30 years of each others lives that we missed. Memories flowed, and questions of each others families were asked. Sitting across from her was surreal and magical. We have walked completely different paths in life, and she said she had often wondered how different her life would be if she hadn't moved away.