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Jun. 16, 2007 Not too long ago, I discovered that some of my oldest friends had passed away at a young age. I had lost track of them through the years, and when my family was mentioned in a newspaper article not too long ago, I got a phone call from a friend I hadn't heard from in over 30 years. We spent the first part of the conversation catching up with each other's lives and comparing notes on children, grandchildren, and the places we'd been and the things that we had been doing for over three decades. All of us had gone to high school together and been members of the same social club, and a few of us had dated one another at one time or the other. The friend I was most curious about was a boyfriend who had meant a lot to me, and who had taken me to my sweet sixteen party. We also attended prom together, and even won a dance contest, hosted by a local television personality in Los Angeles back in the 50's named Al Jarvis. He and I had won a trip to Catalina, and I was madly in love with him. We didn't go the distance and both had married other people and moved on long ago, but I still thought about him and wondered where he was and what he was doing. Sadly, my friend informed me that he had died at age 59. She wasn't sure about the details or what had ended his life, but the shock was there and I felt like no time had passed at all since we had last spoken in the early 70's. When I asked about a few of our other mutual friends, I found out that two more had died way too young and it made me wonder how life could happen so fast and change so much. My journey hasn't always been a smooth one, and I had lost touch with all but one person that I knew during my junior and senior high school days. When I think back to those times, it seems like yesterday that we were carefree and young and wondering what the future would hold for all of us. We shared so many things, painful and joyful, and I distinctly remember that we could not even imagine growing old or dying. Drive-in theatres, parties at each other's homes, dances at school and Friday night football games were the highlight of our times together, and it was hard to recall the moments when I felt betrayed or angry with the boy who I was sure would one day be my husband. I managed to forget that he had gone out with a girl from another part of town who no one knew but was very, very sophisticated compared to me, and how hurt I was when it happened. I never thought about the times when he was late for a date or cancelled because he decided to play poker with the boys, instead of taking me out to a movie. My girlfriends and my parents always tried to encourage me to move on and find a guy who wouldn't take me for granted. I refused to listen, until one day I sat talking with his best friend at a party where my boyfriend was busy flirting with every girl there, and paying no attention to me. At our age, I suppose that was a normal thing to do and even though I had dreams of being swept off of my feet, he was looking forward to being free and enjoying all that life had to offer. He was right.....I know that now. Eventually, I married his best friend and even though it wasn't a forever marriage, we had four kids and stayed together for ten years. My former boyfriend married about five years after I did and his wasn't a forever marriage either. A year or so after we had both gotten divorced, someone gave him my phone number and we met again. After a short time of dating he asked me to marry him. He said that we should have gotten married in the first place. but I was no longer the naive, young girl that he had taken to her first prom, and I turned him down. I had learned the difference between puppy love and a lasting relationship, but I still wanted to be his friend. He was angry and I never saw him again. I had no regrets about my decision, but I never forgot him and thought about him often. Hearing that he had died was very weird, as I had just found his email and had written to him to see how he was after all these years. I never got a reply to my email, and wrote it off as sour grapes on his part. I figured that he was still mad at me for turning him down. I was saddened by the fact that I never got to speak to him again, and it made me realize that it's important to stay in touch with people who once meant something to me, and who played an important part in my years growing up. It also made me realize that there might be people out there who wonder how I am doing and where I wound up. I have since been in contact with some very old friends and discovered that although time and distance kept us apart for a long time, we still had our memories and every now and then it's good to revisit them. I learned that our journey through life can be short, so keeping in touch with people we cared about is important. It's nice to know where my friends have been and where they are now. It's nice to know that we all still care about one another, and that we share memories that belong only to us. I don't want to give them up again only to find out that they are gone forever, and will never get another chance. They were there for the beginning of my journey, and I'd like to keep them with me until the end. ------------ About the author: Meri has a Medical/Legal background and is a former forensic researcher specializing in psychological profiling. Visit the Xlibris Bookstore! 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