Letting your best friend down.

Over the years friends come in and out of your life.  I would say my first real best friend as an adult woman, was Priscella Wardwell,  (now Desjardins).  I met Priscella when our boys were going to playgroup on Fridays in Randolph, VT. 

I had started going to playgroups when Jacob was about a year old.  They were held every Friday at the Triple E program and it was run by the Orange County Parent Child Center.  Nancy Chase was almost always the one that was running it at the time.  Nancy was also the mom of a girl I went to high school with.  It was nice to have a friendly face because I didn’t really know anyone.  Many weeks it was just Nancy, Jacob and myself.

I had moved to Braintree in 1993 and Jacob was born in January 1994.  Braintree-Randolph area was my ex-husbands hometown.  He knew everyone, and while yes, people are friendly in Vermont, they aren’t very likely to let you into their circle of friends either.  I was extremely shy.  We had one car and my ex took it took it work and I was home all day with Jacob.  Home was located almost at the end of a dirt road in Braintree.  It was a great place to raise the boys, but not a great place when you have no transportation.  I had the car on Friday to go to playgroup! YAY!

Eventually more people started coming and I made some friends.  Marie Huntley (now Norton) came a few times with her daughter and we became friends.  There will be more about Marie later – HAHA, but right now it’s about Priscella.  

Together Priscella and I have 5 boys.  Mine – Jacob 1/31/94 & Chad 3/26/96 and Hers – Jonathan 4/18/94 & Alex 7/7/95 & Ben 9/24/97.  We met when Priscella moved to Randolph and started coming to playgroup shortly after Ben was born.  I had been going to playgroup for a couple of years. At this time our oldest had also started attending the Triple E pre-school program together as well.

When I met Priscella my self esteem was pretty well shot. My husband had cheated on me. We had gotten back together, but never really worked out the underlying issues.  We had had another baby, and of course I gained weight with that pregnancy.  I had a hard time losing the weight after that.  I was battling depression but at the time did not know it.  Comfort food in the evening was my thing.  

Somehow, someway, Priscella and I clicked.  I can’t even tell you how we met, but suddenly we were always chatting at playgroup and when we dropped the kids off and when we picked them up.  We exchanged phone numbers and talked on the phone for hours.  I finally had an adult to talk to!  One day she called and wanted me to come over with Chad before picking Jacob up from school.  I said no.  I wasn’t comfortable doing that sort of thing.  Going to people’s houses, or going to the park, or anything.  She said, to shut up and get my ass to her house.  She knew just what I needed.  I got Chad ready and off we went.  I can’t tell you how many hours Priscella and I talked on the phone, or how many hours our kids played together.  It was a magical time.

 

I know Priscella is going to read this and say – Magical my ass!  Do you remember the yelling and screaming?  Priscella and I were a bit different.  I could sit and do arts & crafts with the kids, and read them books, while stuff like that made her skin crawl.  Seriously though when your living it, it seems to go by so slow, but now looking back, all I did was blink, and it was over!

Then as life does, it starts taking us in different ways.  Suddenly I needed to work.  I couldn’t afford to stay home anymore.  I was working part-time as the Braintree Town Clerk but we were still close.  She then had to start working, but we still had time together.  Our kids are in different schools doing different things, but still we had time for each other.   Then I am working 2, then 3, then 4 jobs.  She is working 2, then 3 or more jobs.   

We drift away from each other, and I miss her terribly.  I get divorced.  I get remarried but she was the one I wanted by my side as my Maid of Honor. I don’t care if we go years without speaking; she is my sister from another mister.  I know she is proud of me for taking these steps to better my health.  Every time I see her I am embarrassed at how fat I have become, like my weight has let her down,  but she is too nice to say that too me, she just hugs me and tells me she loves me.  I love this girl with all my heart and I am proud to be her friend.  She is such an amazing woman!  I LOVE YOU CILLA!

Priscella and I have many more adventures left to have. The best is yet to be!!!!