40 YEARS LATER..

OUR Mom hates going to class reunions.  She keeps up with the people who are her friends and loses track of the peoples who weren't.  Normally Mom doesn't live close enuf to have to worry about going to them, BUT this year she did but she still wasn't going.

Her friend Deb wanted her to go cos another Deb, and Donna, and Sherry, and Lynn, and another girl whose name Mom can't remember is going so THEY thought Mom should go also.  Mom said NO.  She hastes class reunions.  ONLY one time EVER did she go, and that was 20 years ago.  It was an alright time but NOTHING she EVER wanted to repeat.  Although, there was one person she did look for and when she saw her, they waved across the room at each other. THE END.

The person who she saw, well Her name is Wanita and everyone just called her Nita.  She was OUR mom's bestest friend all the years mom was growing up until 8th grade.  They lived a mile away from each other and could have passed as sisters. Both short and blonde and funny.  They were always at each others houses, playing outside, riding horses, swimming, going to church and 4-H together. They rode the bus together, ate suppers together, Nita accidentally broke my mom's arm, and later her horse tore all the tendons in my mom's leg.  They had an adventurous childhood.  Nita was the baby at her house, and Mom was the oldest. Mom didn't know it at the time but she loved her best friend just like her family, so when they all had to move to a bigger school and Nita went to play with a new crowd it was real hard for my Mom.  Its just like what you read in those kids books, about how your friends move on, and you find new friends.  Nothing new ...it happens to us all....BUT it does leave little hurts deep inside your heart.

So Mom made new friends, and Nita made new friends and the two groups never played together again.  They all grew up and some remained friends and others did not. The mean girls stayed mean girls, the quiet girls stayed quiet, and nothing much changed..... Nita stayed close to home and had two little girls, who have two little girls.  Mom moved faraway and had three little girls who have eight little kids. They never sent Christmas cards, or called each other on the phone......their memories had been packed away or forgotten a long time ago.  Mom never made friends that became her bestest friend again, cos without knowing it she had learned how hard it is to lose someone you love that much.

So after Mom's friend Deb, hagged my mom day and night my mom finally said OK I will go to the damn reunion with you guys....so Saturday night Mom went to the damn reunion.  It was hotter than HeLL and the only air conditioner was in the outside bathroom!  The food was good but it was too hot to eat.  Most of the makeup ran off of the women's faces, and most of the men had beards.  Mom knew some people but most of them she didn't.  She really just wanted to have one drink and go back home BUT she suffered through it. After about an hour she looked over to someone waving at her, and she saw it was Wanita.  She was standing with that group of friends from high school.  Mom waved across the room, and smiled and felt a little sick at her stomach, and really just wanted to go home BUT she was trapped cos she had drove her friends there. So she stayed.

FINALLY it was time to go home, and Mom went back into the building to get her cake that she had bought (cos we know mom and cooking) and there was Nita standing by the counter. She came over to my Mom and gave her a long long long hug and My Mom gave her a long long long hug right back.  It was the kind of hug, that was needed on the night they graduated, on the day they had to tell my Mom's grandma goodbye, on the day Nita lost her first baby, and on the day My Mom flew far-away. It was a hug that said I remember all those fun days and nights we spent together and I remember that you will always be my first best friend.....

It was the kind of hug you wait 40 years for.
Stella Rose