I remember coming out on the bus to you
I didn’t know how you would react
I just had to let you know
You told me you already knew
I remember going to MEPS together and you being first to finish and me being second
We immediately called our recruiters because we were sure we failed and need to retake the Air Force entrance exam
To both of our surprise we passed, easily
I remember telling you a girl I had a crush on was being stationed in England, where you were to be stationed
I remember meeting a girl you had a crush on at my station in Wyoming, what a coincidence
I remember 4-years later us being in the same country for the first time since high school, we were 22
We talked almost everyday, because for the first time, although still states away, we finally could
I remember trying to explain our relationship to my girlfriend, she would never get it, none of them would
I remember the first time we linked back up in Philly, 2006
That summer/fall/winter was a blur of memories
I remember you meeting my girlfriend for the first time and her finally not being jealous of you
Imagine that, your appearance and our interaction in person is what it took to convince her we weren’t more than best-friends
I remember telling you her and I broke up and you said you lost your faith in all lesbian relationships working LOL
I remember you saying you finally found a chick to call your girl
I remember you making arrangements to relocate her and her baby from New York to Alabama
I remember how happy you were with your family
I remember how upset both you and her were when you received orders to deploy
I remember how excited about the challenges you faced during you current deployment while supporting a family back home
I remember the mixed emotions you had about leaving the military
I remember the support you showed me during my exit from the military
I remember the summer we spent looking for employment and just hanging out
I remember the 6 hour drive you made with me to see my son be born, missing Monday Night Raw which you had tickets for
I remember us not talking for stupid reasons and one of us texting “I miss my homie” and just like that it’s over
I remember not calling a chick my girlfriend and you telling me, “She doing girlfriend shit”
I remember you getting so drunk in the club you couldn’t walk to the car, by the time I come back with the car you had taken a cab to your friend’s house
I remember you being at my college graduation without question, then finding out you broke into the house I was living in while I was sleep the night before drunk needing a shirt
I remember whenever you met a new girl I wouldn’t hear from you for days
I remember you calling me asking me to housesit while you vacationed with your mom
I remember you face timing me asking me to feed the dog, you explained that you had been in the hospital and you mom refused to leave to feed the dog
I was furious you didn’t tell me but you already knew that
I remember thinking what the fuck is going on
I remember fussing at you and you saying you didn’t tell me cause you know I wouldn’t react well
I remember you telling me you had been in for about a week with no diagnosis
I remember thinking you just run and run and never rest and this is just God’s way of telling you to chill out
Well that’s exactly what was going on
You did more in 30 years than many people do in double or triple that time
You touched many people in the same way you touched me
I was not your only best friend
On the one-year anniversary of you being able to connect with all your best friends simultaneously
I Love YOU