One day midway through my senior year of high school some four and a half years ago I was sitting at lunch table with the usual three other people: Kari Bowen, Ryná Wolfe, and Ben McAfee. I was probably eating some sandwich variant, probably turkey, and was in one of my then usual pessimistic moods when I came to the conclusion that this was the last year that we would all be friends. After we moved away to college, I figured we would all lose contact a few months later since the only thing we all had going for each other was proximity. When I mentioned this to the group at the table, only Ryná (pronounced like Renee) acted like I was out of line and swore that she would still be our friend despite us living in different places.
Sometime during my first semester, but before the 2000 election, I spoke to her on the telephone and she was enjoying her time at the University of Central Florida. I invited her to come stay with me in Gainesville for a few days, but she declined and so it wasn’t until months later that I got word about how she was doing. As far as I know she didn’t like UCF and settled back home in Palm Beach County where she was attending the community college. I think at around that time she was also working for a telemarketer and was riding a bike to work everyday. Soon after started dating a Colombian boy with whom she was with for a while (she very well may still be with him for all I know). The last time I actually heard from her directly was the summer after my freshman year when she stopped by the movie theatre in Royal Palm Beach. At first I didn’t recognize her because of the corn rows in her hair coupled with a different accent than I was used to hearing, but after a few seconds I could tell it was her. I have no idea what happened to her after that except for the rumors I have heard about her getting pregnant or getting married, neither of which I know to be true or not. Even though I’m far removed from her there’s still a little part of me that gets sad thinking about the person who didn’t want to lose me was the first to be lost, and completely on her own accord. If you see her along the way, tell her I say hi.
Despite being relatively disconnected from everything, Ben managed to stay in touch with Kari and me for a little over a year. This was due, mainly in part I believe, to the fact that we were both managers of the movie theatre during the summer of 2001. If this hadn’t been the case, I’m sure he would’ve disappeared just as quickly as Ryná. Eventually he did stop communicating and if he didn’t come out of the woodwork every few months to write Kari an email I wouldn’t even know he was alive.
What is the point of trying to keep in touch at all if no one ever does it? Let’s just be honest and tell each other we’ll never see each other, shake hands, and be on our way. If at some point that should not be the case then it can be treated like a pleasant surprise instead of a letdown when you realize you never hear from anyone.
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