I'm Studying You

Because she asked me to

In an earlier post, I referenced "my good friend Nicole". When I got home last night, I called her and mentioned it, and she remarked with something like "what a slap in the face" and proceeded to go on and on about how I needed to write an entire entry about her. To which I responded I would, and here it is...be careful what you wish for!!

Nicole...where do I begin? I met her at the half-assed pharmacy where we both worked at the time. We hung out, fell in love, dated awhile, broke up, got bitter and hated each other, and through it all I'm proud to declare her more than just a good friend. She's a lot more. I'm happy that I can trust her insight, rely on her for a pick-me-up, bounce crazy ideas off each other, listen to her on the rare occasion when she's down (and I mean rare), and I'm most thankful for her love and support. Very few will be happier for her than I when she walks down the aisle to finally get hitched to the guy she fell for after me.

She's a beauty inside and out. She was once described as "a party in a person", and there's only a few people I can say in full confidence that when it was just the two of us, it truly was a party. We had a lot of good times that by far outnumber the few bad.

Even though she's moved away, we still manage to talk a few times a week, send random emails and occasional text messages. She's a huge fan of the Buffalo Sabres, like myself, and even played hockey for the University of Buffalo. One of the best times I had with her was playing street hockey with her and her dad in front of their house. On her birthday we went to a Sabres game; it was Elvis night and on our way out of HSBC arena they played "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You." I'll never forget how embarrassed she was when I pulled her to the side of the crowded concourse and held her in an impromptu slow dance. To this very day it is my only favorite Elvis song (perhaps stoked by the fact that Pearl Jam covered it live in blistering fashion). I'll also never forget how we almost died that January night, when her car slid on black ice and was headed straight for a tree during a snowstorm...I flinched in panic and my knee wound up knocking her gear shifter into neutral, slowing the car down sufficiently enough to avoid a terrible accident.

She respects me for who I am and what I do, and is an unwavering supporter. She even mentioned how if she could, she'd come to my reading on sunday and boo me! (Ahhh the back-and-forth humor we possess!) I know if she could she'd be there and share in my happiness. In fact, buried in my port somewhere, is a bit of a tribute to her, written around the time we were having a sort of romantic (in a twisted way) tryst well after we'd broken up, "The Temperature Was Us" .

So here's your entry goldfish. Hugs and stuff, your platypus.