DEE

(sigh)

One day in 1960 while riding the school bus home, I struck up a conversation with a girl I knew only slightly who was a grade ahead of me. The conversation was animated, friendly....and there was an immediate rapport. You know how sometimes you meet someone and you just click? We did. Her bus stop was a couple away from mine, but her house was within walking distance of my home. She got off at my stop and we stood along the side of the road talking for at least another hour. So began an enduring friendship that continues to this day.

I've written frequently about friendships on this blog, most recently just a couple of weeks ago. There's a reason for that. During a lifetime people enter and leave our lives, flit through our consciences, make a positive or negative impression. Only a few are keepers. Over the next couple of months I'm going to pay homage to a handful of people who have enriched my life, taught me lessons, snapped me back to reality, laughed with me, made fun of me, complimented me and just have generally made my life a better place to be. Dee is one of them. I've already written a while back about Saint Diana and Saint Randy in Albuquerque.

Dee is one of those people who always knew the right fork to use, the best color to wear, the most appealing hairstyle to have. She is southern epitome -- manners, accent, cultural essence, vernacular. But while she was always a lady, she had an occasional raucous side; and she and I had some hilarious and scary times growing into young adulthood together. We confided about boyfriends, parents who knew nothing (aren't all parents ignorant when we're teenagers?), adventures we hoped to have, dreams to which we aspired. We've had a span of time as adults when we lost touch, but we've linked up again the past couple of years and it's like we haven't missed a beat. Old times, it is.

Dee was a drum majorette in high school and a good one. She was in her glory doing this, was intense about the routines and was perfection in executing them. She wore contact lenses and forever had a grain of something or other behind them -- she squinted a lot as a result. But she was and is a beautiful woman, a kind and caring human being and a friend I cherish.

To you, Dee.

(sigh)