30 Days Of Thanks: Evan

Dear Evan,

           

            You were the first person that I ever considered to be my best friend. As I’ve been writing these letters, I’ve realized that I don’t often remember meeting people for the first time. I don’t know how or when you came into my life. When somebody is a year ahead of you in school, as you were ahead of me, it is really difficult for young kids to socialize. But it seems like that didn’t matter as long as we lived close to each other. Thanks for always willing to play made-up games with me.

            “Hey, let’s put the red plastic from these newspapers in the ground with sticks. Then we both hold on to this baseball bat and try to make the other person let go outside the sticks.” It seems like we were always playing some type of game. Whether it was a made up one, a board game, kickball or, eventually, video games.

            I remember when you told me that the inheritance money that you got from your grandma was going towards a brand new Sega Genesis. I wanted to move in. up to that point, we had been playing my one and only Nintendo game, Super Mario Brothers until we melted the video chip. Then it was like a new game. But the Genesis totally took it to a new level. I remember going over to your house and playing until your dad came home from work.

            It seemed like he was always bringing home a package of cookies or Ninja Turtle pies filled with green ooze and either chocolate or strawberry milk I remember always being confused about your housing situation. You technically lived out in the country, but you still had a house in town. I wasn’t sure if your dad owned that house and rented it out, or if it was Clive’s or what. All I know was that I always had fun hanging out with you, regardless.

            Do you remember the time that I cut my finger opening a package of Ramen Noodles with a steak knife? Or when we ran out of some ingredient to make cookies and when I got back, the cookies were all salty? Recently, I was back in that neighborhood and I found out that my old house had become a drug house and now sits empty and trashed inside. It is sad that such a thing could happen where I had so many good memories inside. Then I went and got gas at the Seven Eleven that we used to walk to and play arcade games. I remember thinking that while it looked cleaned up from when we were kids, there was no way that I would want my kids to play there, unattended. It’s been nearly twenty years since we’ve talked. I’m sorry that we’ve lost contact, but I truly hope that life is treating you well.

Adam