My friend Sarah is the smartest person I have ever met. She is also the most socially awkward. In five years of knowing her I’ve mostly only been able to draw out of her commentary on the weather.
One night our senior year of high school we were down the shore for a class trip. There was a dance party in the pavilion and I thought Sarah looked about as miserable as I felt. We went outside, both of us completely burnt from the day, and lay on our backs on top of a picnic table. She asked me if it was cloudy. I said I didn’t know what the weather was supposed to be like. I was still looking when I burst out laughing, “Sarah…the stars. We can see them.” She thought it was funny too.
We talked about all kinds of things that night. We talked about the past four years of social hell and her sister dying. We talked about the future and what would happen if we actually got all the things we dreamed of. It was the kind of conversation two characters have in a movie right before they go their separate ways forever. It was the most sweeping conversation I’ve ever had with a friend about life.
Three weeks ago I saw Sarah at a house party I had. She looked thoroughly bored, a bit uncomfortable, and exactly the way she had looked that night in the pavilion. Our friend Amy brought up that senior trip, reminding us that she was too ill to go on it. Sarah turned to me and said, “Remember when we went outside near the end?” I smiled and said, “Yeah, I loved hanging out with you that night and the conversation we had.” Sarah cocked her head a little, “We talked?” “Yeah, you don’t remember?” “No, I don’t. I thought we just went outside cause we didn’t want to dance.”
2 comments:
Talking about it might ruin the impact it had on you or make it seem less magical.
Eh, I genuinely found it funny that she didn't remember it AT ALL.
Post a Comment