People I Know: Lost Voices

Since graduating high school I have lost touch with the vast majority of everybody I knew in high school. This has been a largely purposeful loss as most of the people I knew then I wasn't overly impressed with. Yeah, I'm sure they're all brilliant, delightful, mature folk now that high school is over. Yet, I'm still okay with not talking to most of them.

Thus, I have stayed in touch with approximately three people I used to go to school with. One of them is my brother. Oddly enough, I've received phone calls from both of the other two within the week. Especially odd is that the first gal, who I speak to roughly twice a year, should call within days of the second gal. Go figure.

So, first gal: I've literally known her most of my life. We met in daycare when we were three. She called the other day (I hardly ever call her as she's fairly nomadic and her phone number changes often) to catch me up on the past six months - Her second child, a son, is born and healthy, she just started the culinary arts program at a local college, and her younger sister is doing well. This friend has had a rough life, and I credit the majority of that to her not-so-functional home life as a kid. I'm pretty sure there were times when she was growing up that my parents were more invested in her than her parents were. Now that she's out on her own, she's still working through those issues. No small feat, but she's making progress. It's always good to hear from her, even if my end of the conversation is mostly a string of, "Yeah? Really? No kidding? Uh huh."

Second gal: She and I are very different in most every way. We became friends because we were both in orchestra, but that's pretty much where the similarity stops. She comes from a big family, has a super outgoing personality, and is very athletic. Then you have me: small family, not so outgoing, and far more of a nerd than a jock. But, it works. She goes to school up north and usually staying in touch means shooting each other an e-mail every so often. However, she's back in town to visit her family over Thanksgiving and it looks like we'll meet up together sometime tomorrow.

The best part of hearing from both of these friends I talk to so infrequently is that both called during my fun cold. Today, when my second friend called, is the best part of a bad cold, the part where I essentially lose my voice. It's great. I'm just hoping it clears up a little by tomorrow so I can have better success in actually talking to this friend I rarely get to see.