Hello, Goodbye

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but what the hell do "they" know? What if hearts were as fond as they could get in the first place? I said goodbye (again) to my best friend Ali today after a glorious 3.5 day weekend with her as my roommate. While this goodbye was nowhere near as painful as the one we said nearly one year ago today as she left me behind in the pink bubble for good, it still caused a little pang in my heart. I hadn't seen her since April, but it was like no time at all had passed. We text and talk and skype and whatnot all the time, which helps a lot, but there's nothing as thrilling as leaving my dorm at the sound of her ringtone to see her red bug going around that traffic circle :) I'm always the first one to greet her, because no one else knows how to NOT schedule commitments when Ali is coming.

In some twisted way, I think it's better like that. She and I have always been closest, somehow forming the core and foundation of our little family. She's my prettier and more stylish sidekick ;) As everyone had various activities planned for the weekend, she and I got to have a lot of Emma-Ali time. Friday night after a family dinner with everyone, she came to a Camp Rock 2 viewing party with me. We had a blast and we both really enjoyed it; she's the only person who embraces my Jonas/Disney obsession instead of scoffing at it or simply putting up with it. We love our cheesy DCOMs, and a lot of the times, we think that "Sonny with a Chance" and "Jonas" are too sharp and witty to be considered Disney Channel comedies. Anyway, we had a wonderful time, then came back to the room and had more big group time, which is always side-splittingly fun. She was staying with me, so we stayed up chit-chatting for a while.

Saturday, there was a theater cleanup day and a soccer tournament in PA, so Ali and I decided to go to the movies and hit up the mall in Lynchburg. We tried on shoes at Macy's and squealed over great buys in Forever 21 (a whole table of accessories for $1.50. We were in heaven). Then we went and saw Eclipse together. Twilight is a big part of how Ali and I became friends and strengthened our friendship, and it killed me to not see New Moon with her. So we talked, giggled, and shared our views and biases with each other during Eclipse at the dollar theater. She fanned me during the leg hitch/proposal scene, and I patted her hand to console her as Jasper and Alice were too freaking adorable for words. Even though I'd seen Eclipse 5 times before, it felt like the first time all over again (hey, she even persuaded me to watch the second/real Jake-Bella kiss. That's progress).

We had a fabulous dinner with Mary at the Bistro, then climbed trees and came back to the room for a board game marathon. Mary and Ali went on a walk, and when they came back we decided to have a slumber party. Sunday was spent doing homework, catching up on serious stuff in each other's lives, and antiquing and traipsing our way through the quaint little town of Amherst. We hit up the cafe and sunned on the dell. We got Ali completely caught up on Glee, during which our darling soccer players returned. We stayed up until midnight watching our favorite performances from the past season and giggling and massaging each other's backs.

This morning, we had an early breakfast with our lovely soccer players. As much as I love Emma-Ali time, it's always better when we're all together and food is involved in some way :) Ali spent time with Seanne and Lindsay and Sierra while I went to classes, and we had one last big lunch together. We had Emma-Ali-Seanne time, which made me flashback to early freshman year when it was just the three of us together. We visited Ebet, which is always amusing. And then I had to say goodbye. I picked up her bags and walked her to her car, and hugged her goodbye just like I have done way too many times before. Only this time, we parted with the promise of more visits in both directions, and more memories to assuage us until next time. I stood and watched her little red bug drive off again, and then called my mom like I always do when Ali leaves me; only this time, I didn't cry. I felt tears sting my eyes, but I couldn't let them out. I felt like I had experienced way too much bliss with Ali in the past 72 hours to end it that way.

So now I have to readjust to living without a roommate, which is harder than I expected. I thought I'd be playing hostess (which I love doing), but instead, it was like having a roommate. It hurts a bit because it was almost like a hint of what could be happening this year if only she was still at Sweet Briar. Ali commented that she can see a change in me from living alone; I have a little more confidence and I'm a little less uptight without anyone's mess to clean up/complain about :) I'll miss the late night chats in the dark the most; it's so nice to have a soundboard for your cares and fears and joys under the cover of darkness. Nevertheless, I must move on; another full week of intense English classes waits for no one, and suddenly, I have a commitment in the theater, helping with props and painting and maybe set building for The Secret Garden musical show SBC is putting on in mid-October (gee, thanks for dragging me into this one, Mary). Hopefully, it will be enough to distract me until November, when Beulah will take me (and a car full of friends, keep your fingers crossed on that one) over the mountains to Knoxville for a reciprocating weekend with my BFF.