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>How long were we best friends??? >That's a seriously good question. In part because it's >seriously hard to recall when I first met her. The >first memory I can think of her and I playing together >was one of 3 possibilities: > >1 Either racing those bigwheels up and down the >downstairs hallway. (Must have been about 3 at the >time) > >2 Or perhaps when mother brought the puppies (which >included Kibbles) up to the North Quarter, (which is >where half-brother and I slept until younger brother >was expected.) > >3 Or she and I playing with my mother's doll house >also in the North Quarter. (Again where I was staying >at the time.) > >In any of those memories, we were three (possibly, but >doubtful two) years old. And I can't be completely >sure of which is the oldest memory. > >Number 2 is not just possibly my first memory of >Nicole, but possibly my very first memory oldest >memory that I have been able to hold on to. > >It's definitely in the running for first, memory >anyway, ergo I honestly don't even remember ever not >knowing Nicole. > >Her mother and my Mother were obviously close friends. >Mother paid Mrs C as her personal tailor. As a result, >every year she would take Brothers and I with their >family shopping for our school clothes. > >(That was until sixth grade, when I went off to the >boy's school, but I'll come back to that.) > >Her father and grandfather were both closely >associated with our family as well. They both worked >for the lumber yard that my family owned. They weren't >as close to my Grandfather and Father on a personal >level as our mothers were to each other. > >But our families were extremely loyal to each other >and there were a few other families who were in that >alliance. (Mainly the Families who all weathered >through the Great Depression together, in the 1930s) > >Back to Nicole and I: I don't recall our parents >(niether hers nor mine) ever really pushing us into >our friendship. Her father, in particular, was less >than happy with us being such good friends. Mostly >that was because he thought I was influencing her to >act tomboyish. > >However I certainly didn't push boyish activities onto >her. If anything, it was the reverse. > >She always seemed to feel that she had to be faster >than me, stronger than me, and better than me at >everything we tried. (She often was) And when she did >out-do me in our play time, she had the annoying habit >of boasting about it until it was obnoxious. > >(Though despite my lack of a competitive nature, I >would really **** her off over the fact that I could >do one particular boy activity that she could not. I >could pee standing up. And I took multiple >opportunities to rub that in.) > >She and I would play with each other nearly every day >throughout the younger part of our childhood. Our >houses weren't that far away. She lived along the >southeast end of her property, just across the ravine, >and up the trail along the stream. > >We would be taken to school together, brought home >together, and then after school we would often go meet >up with each other along the trail. > >(Even in school, we were often in the same class.) > >We never really stopped being friends. When I was off >to the boy's school, we obviously couldn't hang out as >often. But whenever I would come back home for >weekends, summer and winter breaks, and the like.... >we would still hang out. > >She was actually staying at my house, and in my room >for a few weeks at one point. I don't know the details >of what was going on at her home, but my parents were >always willing to treat her like the daughter they >never had. > >Then the big seventh grade party at my house. It was a >three day weekend, our parents told Brothers and I to >invite our friends to come down to the house. > >Of course, our house being full of boys between ages >12 and 14, there was absolutely no way that Nicole was >going to stay away all weekend. It was one of the very >few times ever that my parents forbade her from being >around the house after dark. > >But she got plenty of time during the day. At one >point she got caught with Fletcher making out... >somewhere in the house. > >To be clear and nicole and I were never romantic with >each other. We've known each other for decades now, >and we just never went there. Also, I've had my own >girlfriends, she's had her own boyfriends. That never >bothered either of us. > >But that one time, one of those greasy boys whom I >went to THAT school with, it really got under my skin, >and I got into a fight with Fletcher. (Nicole broke us >up) > >To be fair, Nicole did later admit to me, that all she >really wanted was to make out with one of those "rich >boys you go to school with". > >And we both agreed that that could never be us, no >matter how curious we were. It would be just Too >weird! > >So yeah, I guess I could respect that. But I really >did not like stuff with those boys, mixing into my >home life. > >After graduation I had arranged a job for her, in a >company owned by one of the boys whom I went to school >with. > >My grandfather had continued to pay for her to go to >the private school that she had gone to all along. >(That I used to go to before the boy's school.) > >My Grandfather had expected Nicole to want to take the >job of one of the ladies that worked in the big office >to the lumberyard for years, when she finally retired. > >But she liked the job that I had arranged for her so >much, that she stayed with them when the time came. > >(I don't rightly know which job had more money.) > >Nicole actually ended up dating and then marrying her >supervisor (Who was NOT the owner, whom I went to >School with) in that company. They had a child, then >got a divorce. > >(At some point in there between the baby and the >divorce, she left her job with that company. But as I >understood it at the time, she had savings.) > >She remarried, and two more kids, then another divorce. > >I guess the savings may have dried up after the second >divorce, because I know that she moved back in with >her father. > >But she did briefly remarry, again, and had a fourth >kid, then yet another divorce. > >We never stopped being friends. Her children and mine >did play with each other whenever we got together. >Quite possibly our grandchildren play together at >times. > >Sadly, I don't know of any friendships that are as >close, between her grandchildren and mine, as what we >had when we were kids. But her brother actually still >works for my son, to this day. So I still hear news >about how she's doing from time to time.

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