Who would you like to catch up with?
When I was a kid -early elementary school age- I had a friend whose name was Billy.
All my life, I have had a natural affinity toward women and girls, to socialize with and develop a kinship towards. Billy was the exception. He was a boys boy, Building things with his hands, like tree houses and forts, playing Cowboys and Indians (I always the Indian!) and heroic Superheros, in which times, Billy never had a single flinch that I preferred the role of Wonder Woman over his first choice hero Superman. As a matter of fact, he quite encouraged it.
We were different, in so many way, yet so complimentary in many others. His favorite band was (country) Alabama, mine was Culture Club. He liked meat and potatoes, I liked spaghetti and broccoli and we never faught only ever arguing about which movie we would ask my mom to take us to see next. I always won that battle. We shared transformers and collected He-Man action figures and I preferred the spotlight, as he preferred the stage hand.
In third grade, Billy moved to a neighboring town too far away to commute by bicycle. His parents weren't willing to drive the commute to drop him off for a day, and mine were in the dark about his whearabouts. We stayed in touch via telephone for about 3 months. Neither of us being one for chit-chat and small talk (we used to talk about what we would do one day when we became presidents, together we would run for office, as one!) our communication subsided to none, and our lives officially went separate ways.
Many years later his older sister (who would often baby sit us) spotted me while at the mall one day. I was 14, and in probably the most awkward stage of my life; fat, with braces and acne ridden. She rushed over to me and asked me "Are you from Winter Springs? Is your name Bobby" ... I replied yes, but could not place who she was, due to the fact that she was now practically a woman.
"I am Janet, Billy's sister" she exclaimed. She was so happy to see me, as I her. We embraced. Chatted for a minute or two and She told me that Billy often spoke about me and wonderd how I was doing.
"why didn't he think to call, my phone number has never changed" - I thought to myself. "He is the one who moved" I told her to tell him that I said hello and to please give him my number. I secretly prayed for a reunion with him, as my life at the time lacked many guy-friends.
As it would turn out, that very moment he was with his Mom shopping THERE, in another part of the mall at the same time. They were to all meet at a common spot around 8:30 before the mall closed. She suggested I meet them as well, that Billy would be so excited to see me.
I was so nervous, and I couldn't even tell myself why.
Then Billy showed up. He was tall, lean, and incredibly handsome. He was also clearly very uncomfortable with me. He tried to pretend at first that he didn't remember who I was, then, as it "dawned" on him, his response was
"oh hey" turning to his Mom, insisting that he needed to get home to study for an exam.
I was devastated. Someone who I looked up to as a friend, a brother even, had completely dismissed me. But I got over it and went on with my awkward self.
I grew out of that phase and embraced who I was shortly after. Comming into my own I realized that the universe has special ways of bringing people in and out of each others lives, perfectly. I'd love to catch up with him one day. I think it would be so fulfilling to connect the dotts from our childhood into our adult lives. One day, maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I'm thankful for the childhood memories. #RollerJournal
