Sometimes life calls for a flashback. I was talking to my best friend Abby on the phone last week when she suggested we have a college day. It was music to my ears because it had been a stressful week for me. We set a date and made it happen. Abby sent her kids over to her parent's house for the day, and Matt pulled the mattress downstairs in front of the TV. When I walked into the room, I saw a row of junk food waiting to be devoured. I had to separate the salts from the sweets.
Abby, Matt, and I snuggled up just like old times. I can't tell you how many pictures we have similar to this one form when we were in college. Abby always had the most comfortable bed!
We started out watching Encino Man because it's a classic! I fell asleep, as usual. Then we watched 6 episodes of a TV favorite of ours, Chuck! Abby wouldn't let me fall asleep this time. Then we finished the night watching Rat Race, a college favorite. I fell asleep again. For those of you who think I can't be lazy, I'll have you know that I watched 9 hours straight of TV/Movies, and only got up to use the restroom! The only other time I've spent this many hours straight in front of the TV was when I was super addicted to CMT and watched 12 hours straight...not one of my prouder moments, but it is what it is.
As I was with my best friends, I couldn't help but remember all of our fun times and not so fun times growing up. Abby and I didn't have the most smooth start as friends. Truth be told, I was scared to death of her growing up. She was what some would call, a girl with an attitude. I remember when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore, she rented me for "rent-a-freshman day." I basically had to do everything she said for a whole day at school. Her and her friends put me to good use early that morning and made me make breakfast for them. Joke was on them because I forgot to spray the waffle maker with Pam, and they took away my waffle making privileges. Then at school, I carried her books to every class. I was glad when the day was over and I made it out alive.
Then when I was a sophomore and she was a Junior, we both played on the basketball team. I like to think my mad skills won her over because suddenly she started to be nice to me. Thus began our friendship. At the beginning, it started out small. Most our interaction was on road trips in the back of the bus when she would say words that she knew I didn't know and laugh when I would ask her what they meant. She, of course, would never tell me, so I resorted to Stephanie, another girl on the team, who would have mercy on me. It wasn't uncommon for me to be talking with Abby and then say, "Stephanie, what does foreplay mean?" Stephanie would laugh, tell me the meaning, and then say, "Abby, quit teasing Holly."
Then, as fate would have it, Abby and I went to the same University. We didn't plan it that way, it just happened. Abby, Shantell, and I all worked at a telemarketing place called Convergys. This is where Abby and I would strengthen our friendship. She taught me how to play phase 10 to make time go by faster. She taught me what a cat in heat sounds like....haha...that's a day I'll never forget. We were at work, and I was sitting at my computer, when all the sudden she was making some weird noise and rubbing her butt against my leg. It was also at this time that I started to see the softer side of Abby. Behind all that attitude was a girl with an enormous heart. I jokingly said one day that I was so poor I was going to water down ketchup packets so I could eat tomato soup. I didn't even have milk for cereal. That same night after work, there was a knock at my apartment door. When I opened it, no one was there, but there was a carton of milk sitting there with my name written on it. I knew it was Abby, and I was touched by the small gesture of service.
Abby and I would take small groups of people down to Vegas pretty consistently. What she loved about that place, I'll never quite understand! But we had fun walking around the casinos, watching the Bellagio water show, taking pictures at all the chapels of love, etc. We now try to go to Vegas for birthday trips.
Then came one of the biggest trials Abby would ever go through. I won't share the specifics, but this experience bonded us more than any other event could have. I would spend every night with her until things started to get better. I never realized how much it meant to her until after all was said and done she gave me a picture frame with our picture that had this scripture, "Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." Abby moved in with me and met Matt shortly after. I remember the first night I met Matt, I thought he was cute. I told Abby that I liked him, but by the end of the night, that crush was over. Haha. Good thing because he had his eye on Abby and after many, many months of dating, they got married. While they were dating, I told Matt he was around too much. He was there when I went to bed at night and he was already over when I woke up in the morning...everyday! I loved him for my friend, so for the most part, I didn't mind, but there were some days that I wanted to come out of my room and not have anyone there. Matt and I had fun with Abby. She would occasionally take a Lortab for her back, and that's when Matt and I would let the fun begin. Some people can take pain meds and not be affected too much. Not Abby. She got loopy and out of it. I got to the point that within one second of looking at Abby, I could tell if she was on Lortab or not. It was the distant look in her eyes. One time, Matt and I decided to tape record Abby say the random, funny things she was notorious for. Well, it was going well until she saw the little red light on the recorder. Next thing we knew, she had ripped the tape out and started pulling the tape apart. Another time, we told her that her brother was in jail and we had to go bail him out.
It was during this time of Abby living with me that we had the biggest test of our friendship. The details are foggy but all I remember is that I was supposed to drop her glasses to her at work so she could drive home. Well, she got off early that night and I hadn't taken her glasses to her yet. She drove home and we got in a fight over it. We didn't speak to each other for a couple days, a manifestation of how stubborn we both can be. Finally, Matt sat us both down and made us talk. We made up and have been solid ever since. Thanks Matt.
Abby is one of those friends that cares about me more than I care about myself. She's the one I call when I'm having a bad day or going through a heart break. She's the one I know will always be there for me. Abby also knew how to give me my independence. Even though we were best friends, she knew how important socializing was to me. I was known for making "my rounds" every night. Abby would never get jealous when my social bug would kick in, and I needed to go be around other people. She knew she was the best friend despite how many new friends I would make. We now live 2 very different lives. I am single and living in Salt Lake. She is married with 2 kids and living in Nephi. She knows that anytime I travel I will bring her back a magnet, and every time I visit my family in Nephi, I will also be making a visit to her. And I know that she will listen to me ramble on about the plethora of different people that come and go in my life, even if she can sense that some of them will be very short term. The best was when one of her married friends in our home ward asked Abby, "Does Holly always bring groups of strangers over?" Abby responded, "Yes, that's just Holly." I love my best friends and I can't wait for the day when I get married, move back to Nephi, and we can finally have our underground tunnel leading to one another's house.
1 comment:
Oh Holly!! I love you so much. Saturday was blast!! We have a very interesting history, but I am confident that we will get our underground tunnel someday. Love you!!
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