I was young when I started college and even young for my age. I'd been pretty sheltered and my parents probably took great pride in the fact that they'd protected me from so many "evils". And then I went to college. The freedom! The Possibilities! It was all so thrilling and heady and the pull of adventure was strong. Of course, there was also plenty of down time. Those moments when boredom set in and a girl just wasn't sure what to do with herself.
It was one of those times. Bone and I were bored and not sure what to do next. We wound up walking off campus, up the road to the Wawa where we wandered the store in search of, we knew not what. We wound up buying a jar/can of chocolate cake frosting. Once back at that dorm, we didn't feel like being cooped up in the room so, we grabbed a couple of spoons, popped the top off the frosting and headed out into the hallway. We were quiet, for Bone this was exceptionally odd, just walking down the hall, taking turns scooping out spoonfuls of frosting.
About halfway down the hall, we saw two blonde girls come out of the laundry room and look our way. One of the girls, looked at us and said, "We've got some peanut butter in our room." and turned and headed the other direction.
We followed them down the hall and into their dorm room, still not speaking. Then, we stood around, four girls eating peanut butter and chocolate frosting. Introductions came some moments later. That was the first time we met Monko and Chauncey and began a decades long friendship. The next semester we became sorority sisters and the school year after that we rented a house on Eben Street, where we became 4 of the infamous nine Eben Street Girls. To this day, no matter the distance or the time spent apart, we are all still the Eben Street Girls and their friendships are some of my most cherished.
I can't remember the day I met Bone. I'm sure it was at the Hot Spot on the boardwalk in Wildwood, but it never stuck with me as much of a momentous occasion. Those all came afterward as we navigated the good and bad adventures and dramas that we faced together. Now, we've reached the years where we've begun losing parents. Two of the girls have each lost one and both of mine died far too young. It didn't occur to me that we'd bury each other, at least not for a really long time. In some ways I feel like that same 17 year old girl who started college all those years ago.
I know that we aren't really going to all be 90 year old bitties rocking on a porch somewhere together. Then heading in for our chandeliers quarters game, although, we might have to switch out the beer for prune juice some days. At least that's the idea you get from watching tv now, but that's a story for another time. I really did think we were far too young to even consider this as a possibility. The being little old ladies someday was a fanciful little joke between women young enough to not feel any reality in it. We're certainly too young to be saying our final goodbyes to each other. And yet. Less than a week ago I went to my first Eben Street Girl funeral. I certainly hope it is the last for a very long time.
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