Birthday Boys

Me and Khau
Today is the birthday of two of my friends. One of the revelers is my friend Khau, who lives in Ohio. I'm planning to visit him next summer. Happy birthday, Khau!  I have appreciated your friendship over the past 29 years. Thanks again for teaching me how to drive. I owe ya one.

The other birthday boy is Kevin. He would have been 44 today.  I still miss him terribly and think of him all the time. I still have his email address saved in my virtual address book. His Washington Post business card has not moved from its spot in my planner. I am not sure why I am unable to part with it. Maybe I am more sentimental than I thought I was. I also have a key to our old house in Springfield, Virginia. My parents have not lived there for several years. It would be funny if my key still worked. Maybe I should try it next time I'm in town. "Don't mind me! Just checking out my old room!"

Kevin
I'm going to serve as a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding next month.  This is my first time as a bridesmaid and, in all probability, will be my last. I'm turning into an old lady and since my friends are also getting old, weddings have become few and far between. My middle sister got married in Fiji the first time around and my baby sister and best friend each held their weddings in a local courthouse. So, opportunities have not been that plentiful. Plus, my popularity is not such that I am a likely candidate anyway. However, I like to think that Kevin would have gotten married and perhaps would have made me a bridesmaid, though. Wherever he is, I hope he knows that marriage equality has gained a lot of ground over the past few years. I can't help but think his wedding would have been fabulous.

Happy birthday, gentlemen. I am a better person for having known both of you.

Comments

Sam said…
An aunt I was quite close to died 2 years ago and I still keep her phone number in my phone. I can't bring myself to erase it.

Loss is always more pronounced around the anniversary and the birthday. I'm sorry for your loss.
October 14, 2013 at 7:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's been a minute, but let's talk about my b*o*o*b*s

Image
I'm in the sixth grade. I'm sitting on the floor at my friend Sharon's house. Rachel is there, too. My well-meaning friends turn to me and gently let me know that I "really don't need to bother wearing a bra." They aren't wrong. I'm wearing one, but the situation doesn't particularly warrant it.  Two years later, I found myself sporting a C cup. My mom, a talented seamstress, made me a dress at about that time. It was a slim-fitting column dress with a matching jacket, as I recall. The white fabric had large polka dots; we jokingly called it the Wonder Bread dress. My mom took my measurements. 36-24-36 At some point in history, those numbers were considered "perfect measurements" for a woman. This was 1984; I'd like to think the world as a whole is less concerned about such things these days. I'm confident my daughter has no earthly idea what her measurements are. She just knows she's cute.  Growing up with a fun array of medi...
Read more

On Being Patriotic

The list of adjectives I assign to myself is pretty long: clumsy, organized, competent, uptight, etc. One that might surprise you: patriotic. I fully understand what it means to be an American and am darned happy about living here. But, I have a beef (that part won't surprise you). I've grown tired of certain segments of the population thinking that they've cornered the market on patriotism or that they can dictate precisely how the rest of us express ourselves when it comes to our shared country and flag. Sometimes it seems like the Toby-Keith-boot-in-yer-ass brand of patriotism drowns out the rest of us. For the record, I don't believe that patriotism requires a love of NASCAR, a disdain for immigrants, a Republican voting record, or a preference for country music. Nor does it require adherence to a specific religion. I've seen Facebook posts from some of my friends and acquaintances that call for all of us to return to the "Christian principles on which ...
Read more

14 Weeks

Image
My baby is leaving me in 14 weeks.  She and I started touring colleges in May of 2022. When I applied to colleges back in 1988, I was an English major so there were no auditions. Colleges basically just said, "Sounds good. Come on in." I was the first person in my immediate family to go to college and as a whole, I don't think we understood the importance of campus visits and such. I ended up being fairly miserable that first year until I transferred to a school closer to home. For my daughter, I wanted to make sure she had an opportunity to see lots of college campuses so that she had the best shot at figuring out what she wants out of the college experience. I wanted her to look at elements like campus size and location, diversity, activities, distance from home, and distance from the nearest "big city" (since performers often head to larger cities with active theatre scenes after college).  Last summer, we began the daunting process known as "getting int...
Read more