Saying So Long
I said goodbye to Ingrid tonight, standing at the corner of 2nd and Poplar. The crew had gathered at the Standard Tap for one last evening together. As we walked down the sidewalk, farewells were said, as people branched off to their cars. Seth was going to drive me home, and Ingrid was riding with Una and Cindy, so we stood there, hugging in the light of the street lamp. I held my tears in and laughed as we realized that Una was parked just in front of Seth, so the dramatic moment on the corner wasn’t quite the end. I walked around to the back of his car to get my bag, and Ingrid came around for one more hug. We both started to weep. Heaving sobs shook both of us as we held on to each other and marked the end of three and a half amazing years of friendship in Philadelphia.
I met Ingrid at the Unitarian church in November of 2002, although now, it’s hard to imagine a time when I didn’t know her. Ellen pointed me in her direction on Sunday during coffee hour, and we instantaneously fell into friendship. I can’t even remember a time when we were just acquaintances. We were strangers and moments later we were sharing our souls (and making plans to go see the second Harry Potter movie).
We have been each others’ supports through break ups and moves. Nights that were drunken and wild as well as the tamer ones. We have eaten countless meals together, slept side by side, driven across states, listened to music and laughed. When I developed an impractical, unrequited crush on her brother, she gave me a picture of him from when he was in high school wearing nothing but a pair of shorts made out of a Texas flag.
She is moving back to Texas, her home state, to be closer to her parents. It just felt like time. I understand it, and I’m excited for all the changes she is creating in her life. I know that many amazing things are in her future, and I’m just jealous that I won’t get to be part of the day to day.
This move isn’t the end of our friendship, we will know and love each other for the rest of our lives, but I am still so sad to see her go.
May 24th, 2006 11:57
That’s so sad. It’s so hard to see someone you love so much move far away.
My best friend moved from Washington, DC (a mere three hour drive) to San Francisco. I hate it.
May 24th, 2006 16:12
You know what this means? She’ll have to start a blog! Hurrah!
May 24th, 2006 18:14
An Ingrid blog would be really funny…I think?
May 25th, 2006 18:41
Give Ingrid my best regards. I truly hope she finds peace and happiness in her new life ventures. She’s a strong soul and will succeed no doubt. I regret the way our relationship ended, but only hope and pray that she is happy.
January 1st, 2007 23:24
[…] I got back into Philadelphia early Friday morning. After a day of unpacking, buying groceries and reorienting to east coast time, I picked Ingrid up at the airport. She had some airport drama but thankfully the travel gods knew that it was important for her to get here and so delivered her safe and with luggage intact. Up until last May Ingrid had been living in Philly, when she decided to move back to her home state of Texas. I miss her the way I miss my family, not every moment of every day, but frequently and with the occasional pang the leaves me breathing extra deep. It has been WONDERFUL to see her. In many ways it feels like she never left, because it has been so comfortable and easy to fall back into step and conversation. Saturday night we had a fondue party at my apartment for the extended cluster of friends who all wanted to see Ingrid while she was in town. It was a enormously fun evening (cheese, chocolate and a round of “Celebrity” never fail to delight) and made up for the decidedly lackluster New Year’s Eve we ended up having. We went to the same party we had gone to last year, but several people were absent (Cindy, Andrea and Una were particularly missed), as well as some essential party energy. […]
March 1st, 2007 18:14
[…] My friend Ingrid drove from Wichita Falls to Austin, TX today in order to spend the weekend with a friend and attend Raina’s show at Flipnotics. I would give many things to be there with them tonight. […]