I had a wonderful time at Jane’s house yesterday for our reunion lunch. Probably more on that later, but now for some too long belated news to sink into my head. About my old friend Debbie.
Debbie and I had been close since I first showed up at that school in fifth grade. She had, I found out soon enough since it figured into our sleepovers and slumber parties, diabetes. We were 11, so the disease was only a vague abstraction to the rest of us. We’d take turns accompanying her to the lunchroom for orange juice every once in a while when she had a reaction. We didn’t mind a bit – we got out of class, and when she felt better, we could take our time heading back. And the morning after the sleepover, it was rather a ceremony to watch her give herself her insulin, and squeal in lively manner (us, not her).
She was at my house for the last reunion I attended – we ended up flopped on my big white couch in front of the fireplace. We talked for hours about music and sex and probably lots of other things too.
She had a son, against doctors’ orders, I found out yesterday. This ruined her kidneys, and she got a transplant which went fine, for a while. She needed a second one, and got it, but it didn’t go so well. She died about six years ago. She’d wanted to tell nobody she was sick.
So the memories are flying fast and lively this morning, and I sit here with Fluffy the Laptop and write.
white pebble 