friendship

Do you remember your first friend?
Mine was Patricia Balletto..
We lived a few houses apart in Topsfield, Mass..
It was in the first grade, and we were together all the time.
I'd get picked up by the school bus first and save her a seat next to me, behind the bus driver..
I was so embarrassed once when I had all my classmate's valentine cards filled out and Patricia let me know that their names went on the envelope, not on the inside of the card...
Geeesh! I was only in the first grade!
She saw I was mortified and didn't make a big deal about it..


I'd put on plays with her in my front yard..
My home had a second double space parking area to the left of our circular driveway, that had a little island with trees and shrubs in the middle.
The empty parking spaces was a great place to have a stage.
I guess I was the writer/producer/director and lead actress..
She was cool with that and followed my lead..
We'd get the other little neighborhood kids to be our audience and sit across from us on the island..
I remember being frustrated, because I didn't have the right props!
I was 6 or 7.
One time,
I even convinced her to rub our bums together in the field behind her house...
Oh, it took a lot of coaxing...
We dropped our pants and shook our hips, then laughed as we quickly pulled them back up again, it bonded our friendship and was a lot less painful than being blood sisters..
*Her bum was so soft*
I moved away in the third grade and can remember trying to call her, but only knew the first three digits.. 887...

I missed her friendship...

When I was about 12, I got my Mom to go visit our old home and we stopped at her house.
My heart was racing. I knocked on her door and her Mom answered, but she wasn't home.
I was so disappointed.
Her Mom gave me their number and I gave her my address.
I remember how excited I was to receive a letter from her.
I ran up to my room and opened it on my bed..
Hmmm... 

She'd changed..
She started getting into drugs and her letter was all about partying and catch phrases...
I gave her some advice and stopped writing..
I was so sad.
When I was 18, I drove back to my old home, (how I loved that home) and remembered how much fun we had..
I went to her house, but she had moved and there was no forwarding address...

I used to have dreams about looking, but never finding her..
She was my first best friend... Patricia Balletto.
Still today, when I come across someone with her name, I proudly say, "Ah... that was my first very best friend's name, Patricia Balletto!"

So if you ever run into her... Please let her know, Dianne says "hi."