Friendship

On July 4, 1996 (I was 17) while on my way home from a friends house I lost control of my car on a sharp corner and crashed into a tree. My face hit the steering wheel because I had some slack in my seatbelt. My mouth was bleeding really bad and my face was starting to swell...but somehow I managed not to break any of my teeth thank goodness!

I bet you are wondering what the hell this has to do with friendship. Well, the accident doesn't have anything to do with it, but what happened AFTER the accident does, so bear with me.

My parents took me to the hospital, because why call an ambulance (this was before everyone had cell phones) when you can call your parents and really freak them out. So, we get into the ER and I am bleeding all over myself. The doctor is checking me out and discovers the reason for all the blood is a tear/hole under my top lip and into my cheek. I know this sounds nasty, but there were no external cuts on my face, this was on the inside. So, they get me all cleaned up and send me home.

I am obviously very sore and shook up after all of this, and I don't remember much after getting home. The next day is kind of blurry too. I'm not sure if one of my friends had called the house or if my mom called my friend Lora. Throughout the rest of the day the phone rang off the hook with my friends calling to check on me which made me feel better. I couldn't talk well as my lip and cheek were swollen, but I made due.

I honestly don't remember if it was that night or the next, but I was laying on the couch and I heard a car coming up our driveway...make that four cars. The gang had showed up to see how I was and cheer me up!!! We (my dad actually) built a fire in the fire ring in the back yard and we all sat around talking. Everyone was trying to make me laugh, but whenever I would try to smile my mouth would bleed.

That is a great memory for me because all my friends were there when I really needed it. It is a shame that over the years and as we all grow up, that sometimes those friendships fade.

"The gang"...that sounds funny...was mostly guys at that time. Four girls and seven guys. They were the friends that would stop what they were doing to help you if you needed it, or would go out and raise hell with you. Those were some good times....wait, the best times.

Most of us have lost touch for the most part. This is the part that makes me sad. I still see three people quite often, but the others...I haven't seen them in years. Why is it that it happens this way? It's curious. It happens to everyone in some capacity, but I really wish sometimes that I could go back, even just for a day, and relive some of the fun that we had. I could write so much more about this but....maybe some other time.