She Knowz What She Wants

Today is my friend's birthday. She's turning thirty-one, I think. I can't really wish her a happy birthday because despite all my Internet tracking powers, I've been unable to find her. It's sad, in a way. We met while working together the summer after my junior year. I had just broken up with my girlfriend and was looking for nothing more than a summer of awesome times and she was such a big part of that that the memories linger on. What was so cool about our friendship? Well, lots. But one thing really stood out.

Neither of us had to deal with that question, the "do you like me or do you like me" question. We seriously hung out and were just really good friends from day one and that romance thing never reared its ugly head.

That's really rare. Especially back then because when a guy and a girl get put in close proximity together, and there's some attraction, there's usually issues. But she was in her place and I was in mine. We didn't spend much time outside of work together and that was perfectly fine. Well, if you could call what we did "work." For eight hours a day, we drove around San Diego eating lunch in Mission Valley, napping in Balboa Park, getting Thai iced tea, and eating Vietnamese sandwiches. We were supposed to be pounding the pavement selling websites to small businesses. Needless to say, we never made a sale but the few weeks we hung out together were a total blast.

All the driving we did was accompanied by music. Lots and lots of music. She appreciated Tribe and Gangstarr for the same reasons I did. She was a poetess and a writer. I want to tell her that I'm like a writer now, and to talk about where our lives have gone since then. I was in sporadic contact with her for a year or two after that summer but then we disappeared off of each other's radars.

I think what I miss about it now is having a sidekick. Or maybe I was hers, I dunno. Either way, "Happy Birthday."