30 Years

Through out one’s life there are many days that come and go. Most to be soon forgotten. Nothing significant is done. No marker is placed along the road of life. The day soon fades into the mix of other similar days that seem to have little or no meaning to the collective of the whole. Occasionally; there is a day that is set aside as special. A day that makes all the difference in your life. A day you will never forget. 30 years ago was such a day.

I awoke in a strange room, not knowing where I was at first. The couch I was sleeping on was comfortable enough, but what was I doing there. As consciousness crept into my mind; I realized I was in my sister’s house. I had never stayed there before. In fact I had never been there before. Then reality began to set in and I remembered why I was there. My pulse began to race. My breath quickened. I was excited and afraid at the same time. You see, I had a plan. A bold and daring plan. If successful, everything I dreamed and hoped for would soon come true. If it failed, I could lose the one thing that I lived for, for a very long time.

I was not in this plan alone. My best friend was just as involved and would be taking greater risks than I. My best friend wasn’t only apart of my plan, but in my mind was the reason for the plan. We were very young and impetuous and probably didn’t totally realize all the risks and hazards of our actions, but were driven by a force much more powerful than our fears. You see; I loved my best friend more than life itself and would do anything to be able to spend as much time as possible with her. I don’t know if either of us realized the trip we were about to embark on would be an adventure that would last a lifetime, but I do know that I wanted it to.

Packing all my things, which weren’t much, into my pickup and a small U-hall trailer the day before, I drove with two dogs to my sister’s house to spend the night and be ready to launch the plan into action. And now I could do nothing but wait. I was waiting for her to call and tell me all was OK and she was on her way. What if she was found out by her parents or sisters? What if she was unable to sneak away? What if she was too afraid or worse; what if she changed her mind? Her actions that day would not only determine if our plan was successful, but would also make a huge statement about her feelings toward me. Her decision to go through with this plan would mean her love for me was as great as mine for her. I was so nervous I couldn’t eat. She was supposed to call and let me know when she was leaving. The call didn’t come at the scheduled time. Every minute seemed as an hour. First, it was ten minutes, then twenty, and on and on. Had something went wrong? Had she changed her mind? I wanted to call, but knew I shouldn’t. Finally the call came. She didn’t want to call from home, so had driven 21 miles and called from a service station. I will always remember that call as one of the best phone calls I ever received. The adventure was on and continues to this day; 30 years later.