When the water polo ball nearly collided with my face, I shrugged it off thinking that's what I get for not paying attention while in the lineup; not that it was an intentional attack for talking trash.
Later when asked how we met, I would claim through her sister (we were the same age) and being on the same teams. Aly, bless her honesty, would admit that she threw the water polo ball at my face on the first day of summer practice.
Neither of us realized that summer we would become nearly inseparable. It started with pre-practice binge snacking at our parents' houses, demolishing garlic bread and whatever other carbs we could find and driving around in the GGW singing Katy Parry's "I Kissed a Girl" very loud and wildly out of key. Sleepovers and TPing turned into late-night shenanigans at the drive-in theatre or Walmart and House parties where we hid out on my parent's roof.
We hid away and watched the drama unfold from a bird's eye view, feeling so invincible up on that roof. We would scream "Fuck the World!" because in those moments we were infinite and nothing could stop us.
Somehow we always ended up on the floor in fits of infinite giggles. You know the ones that make it hard to breathe and just when you think they are subsiding they come back with vengeance and you are still laughing hours after it isn't funny anymore. Yeah, we those bitches.
Matching formal gowns would turn into matching tattoos. As Michael (Aly's dad) would point out about our fonts, they were reflective of us. Similar and yet unique, "One a bit sharper and more serious, the other a bit squirrely."
We grew up and moved out. Our dreams and paths took us to different places. Soon she was on new adventures with Mo. No matter what, there was always room for me when I was in town and always time for Rance's pizza and trash talk.
She will always be the Patty Wack to my Nik Nak. No matter years have gone by we pick up where we left off. She will always be home.
That is why I keep living. Because I am loved. Because I love her too much to let her live a life without me.
Comments