by Michelle Paszkowski

Created on: February 25, 2010

She was the first person I met in a new state. My husband had joined the military and we left everyone two thousand miles away, and headed for his first duty station. Just two days after arriving I met her, sitting at a picnic table, both of us watching our children play. She was so personable, easy to strike up conversation with. In just one short afternoon we had a list of our common interests jotted down with invisible ink in our minds. We were thrown together, some would say, by fate, or circumstance. Thousands of miles between us and our friends and family, I suppose we were drawn like magnets. Everyday we stepped closer to the underlying definition of friendship. She seemed true to her word, not trying overly to dangle her offer of friendship in my face. I sought the knowledge of what might lie beneath the surface, it all was so perfect and easy, it ran smooth without argument. With every day, every week, and soon every month we got closer and closer. I found it so easy to open up, to be my real self in her presence. I counted myself lucky to have met her that day at the park. Soon the months became a year. We had gone three hundred and sixty five days as friends, real friends. She didn't judge me, yet she was brutally honest, and I appreciated her honesty. Military friends come and go, and I knew we would be separated one day. I never dreamed it would end the way it did.

After quite a while my phone stopped ringing with her on the other end. I noticed she only called when she needed a baby sitter. At first I thought nothing of it, assumed she was busy with college. I made excuses, much like a jilted wife who excuses her cheating husband. Others would ask where she was, and  I would fumble the words to say maybe here, possibly there, not really sure. As strange as it sounds I felt embarresed, my friend had dumped me. I thought it wasn't possible, she had to busy, there was no way this person would do this. I trusted her with every detail, I leaned on her for strength, and counted on her for advice. In turn I was there for her, unconditional, non judging, and always open for her. No way was she doing this. I called, first everyday, leaving messages, inviting her for coffee. Soon I began to realize she wasn't going to call back. I questioned all my actions, I wondered if I had said something, done something , to cause this breakup. She had dumped me with no warning, no reason, no excuse. For months I wondered why. I was hurt, and embarrassed, and I

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