Do you ever look at the people in your life and think, how did you get here? How did we become close friends? What stroke of luck brought us to the same place at the same time to start this journey called friendship?
Well, for us, best friend, it was a girl named Heather. She was supposed to be your roommate in a White Hall triple freshman year, but she decided last minute to stay in Texas. You were all excited that your tight triple would instead be a roomy double. No such luck. I had been placed in Emmanuel College, but asked Residential Life to alert me if there were any openings on campus. Thanks, Heather.
You arrived on move-in day at 6 a.m., I showed up around 2 p.m. Funny, ’cause you’re from Long Island and I’m from Somerville. I walked in wearing a “wife-beater,” as you described it (it was a white tank top from Old Navy) whilst inhaling a slice of pizza. You looked frightened. At the time you seemed like a quiet, innocent, wide-eyed girl. Sure.
Something clicked between us instantly. Possibly it was the fact that we didn’t have any other friends. Or maybe you looked at your fashion victim roommate and thought, “project.” I was still a baggy-clothes wearing tomboy. At 6 feet tall I wore men’s cargo pants because it was frustrating finding (very) long jeans, but you were determined to help a girl out (wait a second, were you embarrassed by me?). Well, either way, I’m not sure what I would look like today if you didn’t take me under your wing and force me to the mall. You even let me dip into your wardrobe. And by dip, I mean I was wearing everything you owned.
Over the next four years we would live together, travel together, buy a Game Cube together, laugh together and cry together (once). Because of you, I went to China. Who goes to China? I thought you were kidding when you said, “Let’s go to China.” I said, “Sure,” and before I knew it we were on a 20-hour flight to Shanghai with our friend Molly, sitting next to an annoying guy named Jimmy.
Because of you I saw Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and walked on the Great Wall of China.
If that wasn’t enough, because of you I went to Paris. I stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower, saw the Arc de Triomphe, walked down the Champs Elysees and had very yummy baked goods. For a girl who only traveled four miles from her house to college, that’s a big deal. You also encouraged me to do a semester abroad in Australia when I was having doubts about leaving my cozy little life.
In August 2002, I was freaking out because you and Molly were going to France and Spain, respectively, and I was moving home to Somerville. And when you two returned, I would leave for Australia. I was whining to my father about it one day and he said, “Don’t worry. They’ll come back to Boston, and you’ll come back, too.”
So here we are, in Boston, for our senior year. I’m dressing better now (I said better, not great) and our friendship is the most dependable thing I have in my life. Even as I write this, you call me because we haven’t talked in 24 hours (gasp). I’m not sure where we’ll end up after we graduate, but I know our friendship can survive any distance and any circumstance. And with that, I would like to say, thank you, Heather, wherever you are.
— Patty Topliffe is a senior journalism major.
