see you later

we all left for college it was the end of the world. every time someone was due to ship off to orientation, all 30 of us assembled the night before at someone's house to say our last goodbyes. as august crept into september, the goodbye parties dwindled and leaving seemed so much more somber. it was as if we were never to see each other again.

tears, yearbooks, swapping of new dorm addresses. we were going to college, not mars. but yet, the sense of finality prevailed and the tears flowed.

but 9 months later it was back to the old routine. simpsons marathons, weekends at the cape, hanging out at the lake, moose hill, long drives to no where, barnes and noble and too many cameras. see you at thanksgiving we said. see you at fall break. i'll come up for your birthday. i need to come to sharon for a bat mitzvah, i will swing by your dorm that weekend.

summers went by, some lived at home, some on campus, some people we saw every day, some where in china. there were no goodbye parties that summer.

after college some of us stayed in boston, others moved to nyc or dc or just disappeared. we all still managed to see each other. weekend trips and vacations. phone calls and emailing during work. bachelorette parties and holidays - our own lives had taken over but we knew we would always be there in some way shape or from.

now one more goodbye, but it didnt feel sad. see you in november was what we all said. a phone call away to hear her voice and group emails to keep the gossip going. things change but some things will always remain the same. twenty years, 15 years or even just a mere 7 or 3 or 2 - perhaps this is what these friendships mean.