B is for Becky!

B is for Becky
B is for Back in Salt Lake City
B is for my Best Friend

“But if you break down
I'll drive out and find you
If you forget my love
I'll try to remind you
And stay by you when it don't come easy”
-Patty Griffin

Eight years ago, half of my heart decided to move to New Orleans. The other half stayed in Salt Lake City. After five years the following letter was sent to me from Becky...

April 5th, 2007
i miss our little apartment in the gingerbread house.
i miss our house with tiffers.
i miss our trading spaces marathons.
i miss our weekend gayclub hoppings.
i miss our house i only lived at briefly. (you there
now)
i miss wednesday night cafe rio.

ah, geez. why'd we have to go and grow up to be
adults? i hate it sometimes, even though I am so proud
of our hard work, too.

thanks for being my angel- so many times, through so
many things.

hope we get to talk soon.

i love you.
.becky.

Three years later, my heart has returned. Becky, you are home! You are in a place of love, healing and inspiration! You may not be here forever. But I will cherish the memories and good times we have yet to create. Special times that we will both look back on one day and miss. I am your heart as you are mine. No matter how far or for how long, a piece of me is always with you!

I remember the day Becky told me that she was moving to New Orleans. Honestly, I didn’t believe her. There was such a close knit circle of friends here in Salt Lake. And both Becky and I were extremely close to our families. Why would she want to leave that? Most importantly, why would she want to leave ME? Insecurity set in quickly and I was devastated that I was losing a friend. I knew I would never see her again. Sure we said that we would visit each other and that it wasn't the end of our friendship. But back then, I couldn’t be 100% certain that our friendship would remain. Who knew if and when we would see each other again. Everything that Becky and I did up until her departure seemed even more precious and special. Maybe because we both feared it would be the last time we would be doing our favorite things together. Like the last time we ate pizza and drank wine while watch Sex and the City in my bed. It may have been the last supper!

After Becky left, I remember the world looking different. It was a lot like losing your left arm. Still functional, but limited. There was one thing that helped get through Becky’s absence. Charles! I had just met Charles Peterson. See post, (Thelma and Louise Go to Hurricane Utah). Love preoccupied my mind. Thank God! I really don’t know what I would have done without him. The funny thing now is that Becky comes back to Utah just in time to help me through Charles leaving the country. One friend returns, and another leaves. By and by, I know that I will remain friends with Charles. Like Becky and I, we will have the opportunity to strengthen our friendship. Yet another lesson I have learned from Becky… NOTHING IS FOREVER, EXCEPT LOVE! There are just some people that were meant to stay in our lives no matter what. Distance nor time could separate the bond.

Only a true friend can continue to challenge and teach you more about yourself than you could have learned or experienced on your own. Becky has been a wonderful teacher of “ME”. Becky doesn’t know this, until now of course. But I’ve been thinking I would write a book about our friendship. The book would be called, “The Friend Commandments”. The book would cover all the life-lessons I’ve learned from her about friendship. So far, I have the first three chapters outlined. Chapter One, “Thou Shall Not Eat the Last Banana”. Chapter Two, “Keep it Real Ricki”. And Chapter Three, “OMG, so do I!”. Anyone that has been subjected to Becky and I reminiscing about our history together would have the stories of the Last Banana, Ricki Lake and Becky having something in common with every person on Earth. And if you haven’t heard the stories….you’ll have to by the book.

B for Becky has been one of the best on-going chapters of my life. Becky is a story that will never end. She is a light that went away - but never faded. I love you Beckers!