re: LauraCatoe.com

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re: LauraCatoe.com How did you Meet Your Best Friends?

Well, well, well. Turns out my BeFri hated me in first grade. I mean, I knew she hated me, she’d told me that before. It was a mutual hate, even. You see, while she was hating me for sitting next to Will Patterson, I was hating her because she would talk to the lunchroom lady. RUDE.
And maybe, if she had used her girl brain for thinking and not for things like “playing unicorns” (dumb) she would have realized that I sat next to Will Patterson BECAUSE THE TEACHER PUT US IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. PATTERSON, PICKLE, GET IT? Will was very cute, but I had other guy problems in the first grade, namely Charles. Charles was a greaser kid (with a leather jacket)(!!) and I’m not making this up. He had greaser hair. He looked like the Fonze. And he was ALWAYS trying to kiss me. It was terrifying because I knew I’d get in trouble somehow. HE would grab/catch me outside and say, “I lub ya, honey.” and try to kiss me. I hated him more than I hated Laura.

Look, I know that sounds hilarious now, it is. But back then I was miserable. PLUS, there was a mean girl who used to hit me and pull my hair when the teacher wasn’t looking. Like, every day. And it’s not like I could tell the teacher, “Hey, Chuck is harassing me AND he has bad breath, meanwhile Psycho Girl ate my cherry chapstick and won’t stop hitting me with the goddamned checkers board!”
Because that would make me a Tattle-tale.

What I didn’t know, but Laura will tell you I did, is that she defaced my picture in the yearbook? What? Really? Buh, but I was so cute. I had the Wall O’ Bangs. A gappy smile. How could you, Laura?

Turns out, the lunchroom lady was her grandma, so, you know. That was a bad call on my part.

After 1st grade Laura went to a different school and I never thought about her again. That is until 7th grade when… well when is murky to me. I don’t remember meeting her at the beginning of the school year. It seems like maybe it was after the first 6 weeks anyway. We were in the lunchroom for P.E.? And I was talking to one of the two people I knew: Melody. And I thought she introduced us. Like, “Hey, let’s go talk to Laura.”

“Laura who?”

“Laura Bentley.”

“Who is that?”

“You know, Laura. She’s in all of our classes.”

“Really? I don’t know anyone in our classes.”

It should be noted I hated school so much in the 7th grade. I had been split up from the kids I knew the year before. They were in different classes and now I was stuck in the geek classes. I didn’t know the geeks. It sucked.

But I knew Mel and she knew Laura (and Sharon and April and Everyone else) because they were all in band together. So I went over to meet Mel’s new band nerd friends. They were pretty much awesome. And I think that for the rest of the school year I laughed more than I had ever laughed before.

I did not remember Laura from first grade. She brought that up later.

Laura was tall and had a leather jacket WITH FRINGE. I thought that was badass and that she probably rode a motorcycle. She did not. She rode the bus.

We’ve been pals since before the war.

It’s because of Laura that I met my other great pal, Liz. Her name was Elizabeth at the time. I don’t want to take credit for changing her name to Liz, but I’m pretty sure I was all, “Look, your name is too long. Can I call you Liz?” and she was all, “Okay.”

Because of Laura I took art class in high school. New Art Friends!

Also because of Laura I met Cookie Magoo!

Also because of Laura I finally moved out of my parents’ house! And I could probably blame the art degree on her too.

Also because of Laura I visited a crazy church. For ten years. Before I was finally able to call that crazy church My church.

And most importantly, because of Laura I met Jimmy Jones. He’s my favorite. (I saved the best for last.)(makes up for the art degree.)(sort of.)

Laura, your kids will be great friends and that is why they will have great friends.

 

 

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