Well, it's Saturday night, and I feel better tonight...I'm just remembering the last time I went to the festival...I had gotten in touch with my best, best friend from kindergarten to the 5th grade on classmates.com. She lives in southern Ohio, and after I emailed her, she called me, and we talked for at least 3 hours, catching up! Then she all of a sudden said that she wanted to come up here, so we planned it for a week or 2 out. She really missed this town, and she wanted to see me, and her old house that she grew up in...and also, see the house I grew up in, cuz she was there a lot when we were little...everybody was, I guess! We couldn't go inside, cuz I hadn't gotten in touch with the man who lived there at that time. But we did go drive around it, and through the driveway and everything. We used to all get together at my house, when we were little, and play hide and seek in it, cuz it was 3 stories, + a big basement, so if you really wanted to hide, nobody would find you for, like, a week or so! Trust me, I used to take advantage of that when I was a little shit, and Mom or Dad caught me doing something wrong...cuz it had a front staircase, and a back one, so if I didn't want anybody to find me, well, it was easy! So...here I go down that long-ass road to nowhere again...
Anyway...we decided that we should get all our old friends together for an 18 year class reunion at the festival that year. We emailed everybody, and set it all up. The whole thing was kind of ironic, because she & her family had moved south when we were in 10th grade, but we hadn't been friends after elementary school at all...she had kind of...ummm...moved in a different 'circle' of friends...you know, she became gorgeous, a cheerleader, and everything I never would be. Meanwhile, I just hung out with the druggies, drunks, hoods, etc...wow...off on a wild tangent again...
We all got together at the festival on the Saturday night...some came down from Cleveland, up from Cincinnati, and everywhere around Ohio. We all went out to Applebee's for dinner first, then went up to the festival. I really kind of didn't want to, cuz I can't dance anymore, can't get drunk...and couldn't walk all the way downtown...you get the fuckin' picture, right? But S wouldn't let me not go, she brought me back to our house, came in & told Kev I was gonna back out...he got the wheelchair that I never, ever use out of the basement, gave it to S, and she put it in her car, and said I was going, & that was it! We drove most of the way, then parked, and she made me get in the chair, and we all went downtown to a beer garden (of course). And once we got there, there were probably about 30 other people from our class...and I was surprised...didn't think that many would show! And it was totally different from high school...i.e., the preppie, perfect people were friendly! Of course, maybe they were just being nice to me because...no, I'm kidding.
Anyway, we all had fun, & yes, I did drink...but not as much as everyone else did! When we were going back to the car (around 2), I offered to let S sit in the chair & I'd push her, cuz she was pushing me all crooked & everything. I still have the strength to walk, just not any balance! But she wouldn't...
The date of this 18th reunion? September 8, 2001. Three days later, life in America was changed forever.
LibbY!
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