Friends

After being away for about a week, maybe not even that, I opened up my email and I got a message from someone I've known for years. She and I worked together at this store called Sally's Beauty Supply and she was the assistant manager. But more than that, we used to go to school together, but we stayed in our own seperate worlds because I was a grade or two ahead of her. The first time I took notice of her was back in 2001 I think. I was standing at the bus stop waiting for the 601 to take me to The College of New Jersey because my house was on the other side of the campus. And I knew she lived near and she was waiting for the bus too. I was fascinated because she was the black girl, wearing some rock band t-shirt, some sort of punk rock studded, collar thing and these huge skateboard pants. And I was thinking 'wow, she looks cool.' There weren't...hell...maybe aren't too many other black girls like that. I never spoke to her that day, but I thought it'd be nice to be her friend.

Fast Forward to five years later. February. Sally's Beauty Supply. God how I HATED working there. My boss was Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and she frequently admitted that she was a little crazy. I could tell so many stories about that place, but this entry would be disgustingly long. Me and Stephy (that's her name by the way) ended up becoming best friends. We both hated that job, we mutually loathed the two other chicks that worked there and when the store was slow, we'd walk up and down the aisles picking out what we'd buy when we got paid next.

Sometimes we'd lean against the door frame staring at the rest of the strip mall area, eating lunch from the sub shop next door wishing that something would happen for us. The only fun in the day was flirting with the boys that worked at the sub shop next door. They'd give us free food and just hang out with us. Very unprofessional--but that's how it was.

It made working there bearable. She made working there bearable. Stephy is one of the two people in the world that you're kind of half in love with be you girl or guy because of who they are. She's put up with so much of my shit over the years and when I think that it'd be best if she'd just cut me off she'll laugh and say something like "I still love you honey bee."

She's amazing really.

The other person and in no way less important is my friend Seppy. I got an amazing comment from her that just made me grin like an idiot. I remember the first time I spoke to her on the phone. I was with my other friend Wendy (who's also pretty darned amazing in her own right) and we talked for hours.

I don't how we even got in contact with one another again, but we did. I could and still to this day tell her EVERYTHING. She's the sort of girl who doesn't make any sense and tries to...not realizing that it's a part of her charm. She'll be like "Oh, Alicia...I'm going to bake you a cake and send it to you." and I'll be like "No...don't do that..." and she will...because that's just how it is.

Or...when she knows you're going through a really hard time because you're pregnant(2007) and the father and his family is a living nightmare...she'll send you a card, twenty bucks (even when you told her not to) and a picture of a saint.

I'm always telling her not to do something and she's always doing it and going out of her way for me and I never get it. With both her and Stephany, I cannot for the life understand why they love me so much...and I feel humbled and awed and undeserving of them. But I love them and that's how it is really.

I've never been a girl to have a gaggle of friends...especially females. There's this line in this song that says "I don't run with many girls 'cause they talk too much." and that's been my motto for a long time.

But then there's a few womanly type that are so much more than 'girl' friends. There's an unspoken bond between us that time and miles can't touch...and I'm really thankful for that because I gotta wonder where I'd be if it weren't for them.

And I really thank those two for giving me a little of their light.