14 Years Later: Noemi

Dear Molly,

        So, back to the series of entries on relationships with people. Up next, in honor of 20 years of life today: Noemi Summer. (Noemi Anais Sophie Arellano-Summer, if you're being technical.)

       Harken back to Kindergarten. In the cafeteria, you spot a girl in a different class with pink Barbie glasses. You think to yourself: I hope she didn't take the last pair. If I ever need glasses, I want ones exactly like those! (Alas, when you actually did get glasses, in third grade, you had outgrown your pink phase. Your fist pair were brown.)

      First grade arrives. You befriend Hannah McDonald, and on the playground at Emerson, she introduces you to that girl with the glasses. You learn that her name is Noemi, not Naomi or Noamy. You like her right away, even if you seem to do about seventy-five percent of the talking. (You've since learned how to keep your mouth shut and give other people a chance to get a few words in, and she's no longer quite so shy. Now it's about fifty-five forty-five.)

      You spend time with each other on the playground and after school at Kid's Club. Handball on the Wall, never again after 2nd grade, though. Eventually, you invite her to your house for a play date. Two klutzy gradeschoolers kick around a soccer ball and eat popsicles on the back porch, and a friendship is cemented.

     Simpler times. Remember those giant bouncy balls with handles you could sit on and hop around? To a pair of seven year-olds: "This is paradise." "This is the life." It sure was.

      Not much changes in second grade. You only see her once it twice in third grade though.

      But when fourth grade rolls around, you're thrilled to learn that Noemi will finally be in your class. Thank goodness for GATE. 

      One particular memory comes to mind: Puddle Jumping. Emerson's blacktop has a lot of divots, so after it rains, water collects. One day at recess, you're both bored and an ingenuous idea strikes. Go jump in the puddles, because you can! Subconsciously, you both probably knew that it was a stupid thing to do, and a recipe for facing the discomfort of wet pant legs for the rest of the day. But you're only young once. If college students jumped around in puddles, they'd get some pretty intense stares. 9 year-olds, not so much. It's a memory to treasure.

      Fifth grade begins, and it's an enjoyable year. You go to Camp Hi-Hill which was a lot of fun. You finish at Emerson. On the last day of school, the parents set up a photo booth of sorts, and you take a picture together. It's still on a shelf in your room.

        Middle school starts at Stanford, and it's a bit of a culture shock. You're thankful she's right there with you. Seventh grade comes, seventh grade goes. You manage to survive eighth grade Algebra.

       Having her with you was one of the reasons you choose to go to Poly for high school. You'll always remember making empanadas in ninth grade for that weird science project. 

      After your nervous breakdown in tenth grade, she's the only friend you see with any regularity. It's then you realize she's not going anywhere. She'll always be there of you need her for anything. 

      It was a relief to go back to Poly for your senior year, and graduate beside her. She goes to Boston University now, and you miss her every single day.

      So 14 years later, here we are. You have a best friend for life. Noemi is kind, caring, and extremely intelligent. She loves with her whole heart. You're infinitely grateful she's been a part of your life for so long, and she will continue to be. 

      These are the days, now and forever. 

Song of the Day: The Days by Avicii
Under the tree where the grass don't grow
We made a promise to never get old
You had a chance and you took it on me
And I made a promise that I couldn't keep

Heart ache, heart break
All over town
But something flipped like a switch when you came around
And I'm in pieces, pick me up, and put me together

These are the days we've been waiting for
Days like these you couldn't ask for more
Keep 'em coming
'Cause we're not done yet
These are the days we won't regret
These are the days we won't forget

These are the days we've been waiting for
Rattle the cage and slam that door
And the rhythm is calling us as we're not just yet
These are the days we won't regret
These are the days we won't forget

Out on the midnight
The wild ones howl
The last of the last boys have thrown in the towel
We used to believe we were stars aligned
You made a wish and I fell out of time

Time flew, cut through
All over town
You make me bleed when I look up
And you're not around
But I'm in pieces, pick me up, and put me together

These are the days we've been waiting for
Days like these you couldn't ask for more
Keep 'em coming
'Cause we're not done yet
These are the days we won't regret
These are the days we won't forget

These are the days we've been waiting for
Neither of us knows what's in store
You just roll your window down and place your bets
These are the days we won't regret
These are the days we'll never forget

And these are the days
And these are the days

Love, Molly