Until we meet again
Emily and I crossed paths by chance, 13 years ago, thanks to OSU. Based on our answers to a short survey, the school decided that we, along with two other girls, would get along well in a dorm room meant for two.
On paper we were all pretty different, especially Emily and me. She grew up in a rural area, had a flip phone, and no online presence. Yet we would end up having nearly identical class schedules and eventually lived together for what I consider to be the best four years of my life. Before we met on move in day, I remember being excited because somehow we were the same shirt and pants size which meant double the party clothes. Imagine if I’d known then that she would end up being my best friend.
Pretty much all of my favorite memories are with Emily, from things like seeing comedians, going to concerts, and Howard University’s homecoming, getting our first tattoos and going to Gatlinburg and the Jersey Shore for spring break.
Every moment, even the mundane, was etched with joy. From our game nights and shared victories in Taboo, the times we’d go to the gym and then immediately get Subway on the walk home, every all nighter or the times we lounged in the sun on the “Oval Beach”, and every time we would lay under the stars in a daze when we couldn’t sleep.
Everything we did, no matter how silly it was, we always had so much fun. We were constantly laughing. She taught me about the joys of ranch on pizza, how to knit, and how to have hard conversations.
Emily taught me a lot about love and what it means to be a friend. She was there in moments of vulnerability, finding me when I was lost after a party or surprising me by dropping off my emotional security blanket during a hospital stay.
She cared for me at my worst, encouraged me at my darkest, and somehow put up with me when I lived in a room where the only entrance was through her bedroom.
Today, as I reflect, I find solace in all of my memories with her, but also ache for what could have been. In an alternate reality, we'd get to see her in her dress and would be celebrating her wedding. I'd have time to ask her to be my maid of honor or to get one last hug. I wish more than anything that she was given more time, the time she deserved.
Until the day we meet again, a piece of me will be missing. Emily, you are deeply cherished, profoundly missed, and forever in my heart.
