Just yesterday morning
they let me know you were gone…..
The circles are spiraling again.
A few days ago, I drifted past posts of various sorts, chuckling
here, commenting there, when I came across a picture of two sisters, whose
lives intersected with ours a few times throughout our childhoods. My eye stopped, as I considered the history,
the significance of seeing these two friends as adults. They had been through
challenging times, as so many of us had, and it was gratifying to know that
somewhere, out in real life, they still existed, even if my only contact was in
this glowing box in front of me.
My mind wandered to a specific memory of Lisa, a few years
older than Wendy and myself, who I became closer friends with through our
involvement in theater. One year, when Lisa was a senior, we were in a play
together, and we both happened to have extremely dramatic roles that talked
about dying, involving many tears. I specifically recalled Lisa’s performance- a
scene recalling the death of her sibling as he sat with his girlfriend, carbon
monoxide filling the car and killing them both. The end of the scene shattered
her numbness, left her sobbing and screaming in a fit that broke your heart. I
made sure I was in the audience watching every single time she gave that
performance. And for some reason, that was what I was thinking of the other
night, when I saw this picture of these girls.
An introductory piece of music was chosen to set the tone
for each monologue or scene. Before Lisa’s scene, the obvious choice for a
lead-in was Fire and Rain, by James Taylor. My mind trailed through that song
when I saw their picture, as well.
So many years ago, Lisa sat preparing herself for exactly
this situation. This loss. And perhaps the tears that wracked her body then,
were tears she was unknowingly crying for now.
But I always thought
that I’d see you again……
Nearly 30 years later, I still can’t hear that song without
thinking of Lisa. And now, whenever I hear it, I will forever also think of
Wendy.
