Arizona, Day 4

In the past, I was never great at keeping in touch. I was a “thanks for the memories and let’s move on” kind of girl. I closed chapters of my life with the same regard I’d return a library book. I have since grown and learned, and sincerely regret neglecting valuable relationships.There are people I wish I’d held onto a littlle tighter.

Anya is one of those people. We met Freshman year in college, and hit it off right from the start. We shared the same major, nursing. Subsequently we had many of the same classes, in which we’d pass catty notes back and forth to one another when we’d get bored. We had a mutual love for certain nursing instructors and a mutual loathing for others. We socialized together on most weekends and laughed at the same things. We had nicknames for people we didn’t care for. We occasionally traveled together; snowmobiling in Michigan, a transcultural nursing class in Hawaii, and Hilton Head with my family over winter break. I remember lying on a beach somewhere together on a New Year’s Eve; drinking champagne under the stars and dreaming about our futures. In short, my fondest college recollections include Anya. She was special.

After graduation, we somehow lost touch for a decade; building marriages and families. I found her address years later in a college newsletter, and we began keeping in touch through Christmas cards; our former closeness replaced with an annual family photo and signature. She and her family moved to Phoenix.

I called her yesterday. I somehow found her phone number, and, thought, since I am vacationing in Az, possibly we could reconnect. Shoot the breeze? Rehash our past? Meet for a drink?

Uh uh. She was in a hurry and had only ten minutes to talk. I offered to call her back, but she said, “Ten minutes is good.” So we made a little awkward conversation, and then she hung up to go out with her family. She didn’t offer to call me back or meet me later in the week. It made me sad. So many memories....I wish it could be different......(Big sigh of regret)