January 31, 2006
MoJo Forever
Today my friend Melissa turns 30.
We met in 1998, at the tender age of 22, when I worked for the Ohio House of Representatives with a girl who'd gone to Ohio U. Sally and I became quick friends, and she was constantly telling me how much I reminded her of one of her sorority sisters and best friends from school. "You remind me so much of Melissa!" she'd say, almost daily. A few months into the new job, I invited my coworkers to a holiday party my then-roommate and I were hosting. It was mostly Miami kids (so you know those Ohio U alumni felt inadequate already), and Sally brought a date, along with Melissa and her then-boyfriend. Needless to say, it wasn't friendship at first sight! I think we were both skeptical of the other, after hearing about one another for so long. I did notice that we had similar looks, but I was instantly jealous because I thought Melissa was much prettier. (And thinner, for sure.) Later she told me that she thought I was kind of bitchy that night, and when I pointed out that I was busy being the hostess she came back with, "Well, not with the mostess!"
A few weeks after Christmas, Sally invited us to go out again, to meet this new guy she was dating, and the four of us went to BW3s for wings and beer. For Melissa and I, it was like a first date - we laughed and whispered and got to know each other for hours, and when we walked out of the bar that night, singing Grease 2 songs, I knew we would be friends for life. For one, I dared her to dance down the sidewalk singing "Cool Rider," and she did it, and for two, I had never met anyone like her.
Much of our friendship has already been chronicled in this journal, which is a good thing, because at this point it would be simply impossible for me to put into words what she means to me or to recount the millions of memories we share. She has stood next to me, behind me and she has led me through the ups and downs of my post-college 20s. She has held my hand through heartbreaks, she has cheered my successes and she watched me drive away from Ohio. And as I left the safety of that place, that city where I met my best friend and began learning what it meant to be an adult, I knew that losing her friendship was something I didn't need to fear.
A few months after I came to Atlanta, she moved back home to Cincinnati, and we now only see each other once or twice a year, usually when we go to Florida together. But when we are together it's as if time and distance don't exist. It's like we're still roommates, living on Kossuth Street, watching old New Kids videos and debating the artistic stylings of Justin Timberlake and Jordan Knight. It's an amazing thing to share a home with the person who knows you better than anyone, and loves you still. It's the closest thing to marriage I know. It may seem weird, but I will be lucky to one day marry a man who makes me laugh as easily and is as good a friend to me as Melissa.
She called last night and said, "You're the last person I'm going to talk to in my 20s." And then she told me to have a good day today, "the best day of the year." It is the best day, Mo. Happy 30th birthday - I'm so glad you had to go first. I love you!
Posted by hannah at 09:50 AM
