Tonight, I had a small high school reunion with a couple old friends: Willie (1/3 of the smartest trio at school), Connie (standpartner for life), Jason (Connie's boyfriend, ex-shy camera guy), and Jessica (prom date).
Willie is always only back home for a short while and seems to be off and busy, Hurricane Willie status. Connie and Jason just came back home from med school in New York. I just haven't kept in contact with Jessica even though she's going to USC, HSA campus, for PA.
We met up at Au79 around 10:30PM (we only picked 10:30PM because that's the only time Raymond could make it... but he flaked!) and just ended up talking and talking.
To be honest, it felt kind of weird for lots of reasons:
1) I was the only non-health related field and there was a LOT of health-related talk (luckily, I know a mister James Lee so I actually knew a lot)
2) It felt like everyone was basically the same as in high school (so does that mean I was the same?)
3) and well, I never really talked to Jason to begin with
4) Leneve and Bonnie weren't there! We are a set and two important pieces were not there!
But I was still glad to be able to hear how they've all been doing, especially with Willie who always seems to have a million things happen to her, even if I just caught up with her at Christmas. It's really weird to think of Connie and Jason getting married and having kids eventually (Jess asked and Connie said "Oh I don't know, ask himmmm" and I just thought "Oh my goodness, she probably already thought out a timeline and is prepared for it at any moment?!"). It's weird thinking that everyone at that table is going to be in white coats eventually when I'm stilling picturing us all in high school.
At the same time though, it felt good to be back with them. Despite all the changes and experiences we've all been through in college, we still found our ways back to catch up. We might not ordinarily talk to each other but when we do get together, everyone is still genuinely interested in what everyone else has been up to.
I walked away tonight with 2 things I told myself I'd remember:
1) Au79 strawberry green tea is really not as good as Yelp promised. I was kind of sad sitting there drinking my tea.
2) Learn from Willie's new relationship
When Willie got with her boyfriend three months ago, it was like a facebook wildfire raced through all our friends. Bonnie, Willie, everyone and their mom noticed it and told me (even though I already saw it too). She got a good catch! 6'5" white guy who is not only super nice and thoughtful, but an aspiring minister and a great cook. (Can I be his friend who gets amazing meals too?)
Willie told us tonight how different, how right, this new relationship feels. She said it just doesn't feel real because even after three months, they haven't had any problems.
Her boyfriend, for one, is a part time student but also works part time in their church's children's ministry (that's right, he's great with kids too). Because he didn't want to pressure her or their new relationship, they refrained from physical intimacy, trying to take it slow. She said they don't even hold hands in public and only hugged each other because she didn't want her family to feel like they couldn't hug him. She has a very close extended family who loves hugs, so they would hug each other in front of them, but it would feel awkward, not because there's no physical attraction or anything, but because they feel like their relationship is already so good without it and can wait. Her last relationship was the exact opposite- she was so caught up in the emotions from it all that she couldn't see what sort of couple they really were until months later, when her head finally cleared.
Because they are both incredibly busy and have punishing schedules (Willie is a second year vet school student at Davis, which is her most demanding year), they try not to spend too much time together everyday. They try to go out as a couple with a bunch of other friends so they aren't stuck at home all the time. When they are together, they try to keep each other on track and study. She said it really helps that he's really good at keeping focused and tries to go to bed around 10:30-11PM so he can get up at 4:30AM to read, pray for an hour, and then start his day (because she can just pull an all-nighter with him and still love it). That's why after three months together, she feels incredibly comfortable with him and said that without his support and encouragement, she wouldn't have made it through this tough semester (she also had a lot of family stuff happen that he supported her through). They've both already met each other's families and I'm pretty sure Willie's mom loves him. I think I might love him and I haven't even met him.
Of course they are still in their honeymoon phase and full of that warm optimism... but being there, listening to Willie (who has always been a complete realist and is still one of the smartest, most practical women I know), I couldn't help but believe the sincerity in her words.
I couldn't help but be jealous. It seems like they're doing everything right and I was so happy to hear how much she just admires and respects him. But I'm still jealous.
Maybe it is time to take a closer look at those Christian girls at APU.
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