Bounding, Binding, and Bonding

My friend from Upward Bound will not be coming to visit this weekend. This is the second time we've cancelled this little visit, but apparently it's just not in the stars yet. We talk through email all the time, but it would be nice to get some face time in.

She and I did some wild and crazy things when we were together. I've already mentioned the gluing quarters adventure. We also went skinny-dipping by The Belle, tried to get blown away by a tornado, and took a road trip to Raton, NM, to visit her cousins. I probably wouldn't have done any of those things if it hadn't been for her.

I remember when we first actually met face-to-face. It was the summer after our sophomore year in high school, and we were slotted to be roommates for the 6-week summer Upward Bound program. We had seen each other at least once a month for the past 10 months, but we never actually talked. In fact, when I was told the names of my roommates, I had no idea who they were, but I was one of the "lucky" people who had 2 roommates instead of just one.

When I was lugging my stuff up to the room, my roommates were nowhere to be seen. Their presence was only evident by the mounds of stuff already taking over two of the three beds. They had left me the bed by the door.

After my mom left and I was getting settled in, they came back up to the room. Introductions were made all around (BJ - my current friend, and BP - the other girl), and I found out they went to the same high school, so they already knew each other. Now, I'm a people person and normally very cheerful, and when I get nervous, I tend to rattle. I was really trying not to rattle at them, but they kept exchanging looks that were hard for me to decipher, so I became even more nervous.

The time came for the welcoming barbecue (can you tell I grew up in the south?), and as we were heading down the stairs, BJ asked me, "Aren't you a cheerleader?" I laughed and told her, "No WAY*! What in the world would give you that impression?"

"You're just so peppy and cheerful, we just figured you were a cheerleader," she said. I think she and BP actually relaxed a bit after that, because we actually held a real converstation for the first time on the walk to the barbecue.

From that moment on, BJ and I developed a great friendship. For a few years after I left for college, we didn't talk much, but I found her on MySpace, and we've been talking ever since. Of course, we've been talking through regular email because I'm rarely on MySpace. BP and I didn't develop a close relationship, though we did have fun hanging out.

*No offense meant to any cheerleaders, but I was a band geek and didn't want to be a cheerleader.