Friends are Friends forever...

Today I'm sad... For a few reasons, but none more than the fact that today I found out that another person from the class of 1983 has passed away. My Friend, Rob... who I'd have to say was an "on again, off again" friend... died of a heart attack two months ago and I just now found out about it today.

Rob was one of my best friends in 7th and 8th grade. We were locker partners, next door neighbors, and endless pranksters...(just ask my Mom about all the times we played ornery tricks on her).

Rob lived on the next hill over from us... We both played trumpet in the school band, and every new year's eve (for several years), Rob and I would play our trumpets at midnight, the sound echoing out through the woods and over the hills... We'd walk through the woods at night across the dam at the end of our seven acre lake and we'd spend Friday nights at each other's houses, staying up late watching "The New Avengers" and "The Saint" and eating popcorn.

Rob's Aunt was Italian Royalty and every summer they'd invite me to go to Italy with them and my Dad always said no, but they'd bring me back the coolest souvenirs... I still have some cork, covered wine bottles that they brought me one year.

Rob and I had a falling out at the end of 10th grade... I think it was over a girl that I was dating that he liked...(as I recall), and although we had mutual friends, we never really hung out much after that... I still saw his folks from time to time and always was nice to him, but we just weren't close anymore. We had a good friend, William, that had gotten killed by a drunk driver, and that seemed to hit Rob more than it did me...(not that it didn't bother me...) So all these things sort of added up.

In college Rob came back from school a couple of times and we got together and went out with friends here and there. He visited college with me once and we went to a film class together... After that, I barely saw him anymore.

I invited his family to my wedding to Sherry, and he and his girlfriend came... We talked briefly and it was good to see him...

At my 20th high school reunion, we were sitting with Mark and Jennifer, and Rob and his Wife came over and asked if they could sit with us. I was kind of surprised, but pleased that he asked and we caught up on a lot of the old times and found out who still kept in touch with whom...
He said he had children and had just had a grandchild and we toasted to that and laughed about the stupid stuff we used to do and say...

Now Rob joins Deanne, Donnie and Becky... four friends who've died this year. I feel sad, I feel old... So, how do you get past that? I've lost some good teachers this year too... and they say that you lose people you know and you gain new people in your life... Gaining the new people is easy... saying goodbye, not so easy after all.

-David