Last night, I had one of those nights where I wake up every hour or so. But I didn't mind, as I was having many very interesting dreams. It made the night seem very very long. Every time I woke up, I would look at the clock, and only an hour has passed. It seemed like very much more time should have passed!
It is the subject of these dreams that I would like to talk about today. They were almost all about my friend, Steve. We met in high school, and continued our friendship over the years. He joined the military, and went away. The last time I saw him before he left, I gave him my high school ring, and he gave me a big turquoise man ring he wore.
Unfortunately, on the base, his locker got broken into and all his stuff was stolen, including my ring. I had his ring for many years, but it also went missing somewhere along the way. After he left the military, he ended up getting married, and having a daughter. I was heartbroken, but kept writing. I was very curious, as he never wrote me back himself. His wife was answering my letters.
His marriage didn't last long, and he ended up, still on the west coast, working as an escort. Use your imagination, I don't think you'd be wrong. Eventually, he came back to New York. I was so happy! All this time, we had been writing. I even asked him why he never answered my letters. He told me that he never got any. His wife had intercepted them all. He was shocked that she answered his mail. He thought I had forgotten him.
At this time, he was having problems with his ex, she wouldn't let him see or communicate with his daughter, Stephanie. As far as I know, it never got resolved. We were finally able to get together when he came back. By then, I was also divorced, and Sara and I were living in our little apartment.
We renewed our friendship, and were close. He would call me complaining about the young girls he was dating, wanting to connect with someone his own age. I kept telling him to give up on the young girls. He wouldn't listen.
He was my best friend. I still miss him lots. Totally out of the blue, in my opinion, he took his own life on October 31, 1988. He had eaten lunch at my brother's pizzeria just a couple of days before, and Chip told me Steve was planning on rebuilding a motorcycle. They talked about it, because my brother had done it already. Anyway, I was devastated. I was already engaged to my beloved Hubs, but this totally shook me up.
My youngest child was born on October 31, 1989. I have heard that it takes a year for the soul to be reborn. What are the odds? Either way, Steve will always be with me.
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