My best friend Kim and I met in fourth grade. At that time, I was hanging out with two other girls. One day, those girls decided they were mad at me. They moved all of my things out of our shared cubby without telling me. They wouldn’t sit with me at lunch. When we went to music class, I went to sit with them. Not only did they move, they got the entire class to move with them. If I got up, the entire class moved away from me. (God, girls can be mean.)
That’s when Kim stepped in. She didn’t know me, but she decided that I didn’t need to be treated so crummy. She came and sat with me. Soon, a few other kids did too. She was my hero that day when I was on the verge of tears.
We soon discovered we had a lot in common. We both loved to read – Sweet Valley High books were traded on the reg. I stayed at her house almost every weekend where we listened to music, read BOP magazine, watched Nightmare on Elm Street on VHS a hundred times and made prank calls.
Her life changed instantly when she got pregnant at 15. The day she found out, she called me crying. I wanted to go see her, but my mom wouldn’t let me. I was so sad I couldn’t be there for her in that moment.
We still hung out during her pregnancy, although her boyfriend was around lot more. I didn’t understand why she was tired all the time. I made fun of her granny panties that she had to wear when she was really big. Her baby boy was the first baby born that year, a New Year’s Day baby. I had been at a party.
Eventually she married and had another son. I married and started a life with my husband. Through our adult lives, we haven’t lived close to each other, but have always made an effort to see one another. When she divorced, I tried to help her as much as I could from a distance. When she remarried and had another son, I was so happy for her.
When I became pregnant at 38, being a mom was old hat to her. She gave me tons of advice, listened to me cry when the hormones were kicking in and answered all my weird questions. Today, we talk about once a month or so, and we always laugh.
Look at those girls rockin’ some 90’s style
Kim doesn’t take crap from anyone and calls BS when she sees it. She didn’t then, when she stood up for me in the fourth grade. And she still doesn’t now. Did I mention she’s also five foot nothing and weighs 95 pounds? That’s just one the many things I love about that girl. What else do I love about her?
She’s got a dark and wicked sense of humor. She loves animals. She’s a vegetarian and almost vegan. She had the courage to leave her alcoholic husband when she was just barely in her 20’s. She’s been through hell watching her sons struggle with addiction. She loves her mom deeply, loves Jesus and she loves me.
Even though we have very different lives and don’t see each other often, we support each other and don’t judge each other. She is my best friend forever.
(Side note: When we were young, we wanted to buy and RV and move to California together. When we are old(er) and gray, that may still be an option, lol!)
What do you love about your best friend? Tell us in the comments below!
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