The pretty girl to my left in the photo is my friend Susan. We met in 1962 at Greenfield Junior High School in Pittsburgh. Susan only attended public school that one year - she had just moved back to the neighborhood and the class at St. Rosalia's was just too big in eighth grade that particular year. Susan lived just up a steep hill above me (everything in Greenfield was up a steep hill.) We became best friends that year - right down to having a crush on the same boy - Billy Sopira. We crept past his house every time we went for a walk - just on the chance we might spy him through the window. Luckily - he barely knew we existed so it wasn't a threat to our friendship. Even when Susan went to St. R's for high school the next year we remained tighter than tight - we spent most Friday nights at her house or mine, watching I Spy or trying to learn the latest dance steps. Going to college didn't break the bond - of course we both applied to Clarion and roomed together. I spent more nights talking to Susan in the dark than I ever have with a man (the key word being talking!)
I married right after graduation in 1972- Susan loved me enough to serve as my maid of honor in a blue gingham dress with a dotted swiss apron and a ring of daisies in her hair- very early 70's. I asked her to be my firstborn's godmother. Even when we lived "close" we had at least an hour drive. She listened patiently when I needed to vent about the many complaints of a shaky marriage - I did the same about the lamer guys she dated over the years. When I moved to California in 1989, Susan and I had the funniest Lucy and Ethel visits of all. Getting lost in San Francisco (more than once), lying in a hotel room debating the merits of Hershey's milk chocolate versus Nestle's, taping my window of my van with duct tape in the 100+ heat and having to fix it at every stop light, losing the car in Carmel - we have done it all.
Susan got married for the first time at the age of 46 - and he was worth waiting for. I, on the other hand had a 30 year marriage fall apart shortly after. I started listening to marriage stories - she to dating ones. Whenever anything significant has happened in my life - from losing my virginity, getting pregnant (not at the same time!), my husband leaving me, meeting Jim, -Susan is the first one to know. We have laughed more than we have cried together over the years. I am happy that she has Glenn - he knows just how special she is. I ache being so far apart from my friend some days, as we both get older and have significant health issues - she has been the constant in my life for so many years. I wish she really did live next door - or even up that steep hill again. But I am so grateful to have had her in my life for so many years. She will always be there for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being my friend.
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