Kevin

Kevin and I have known each other for many many years. I knew of him even before we met.

When I was in the seventh grade, he was a year ahead of me at Goleta Valley Junior High School, and already very popular. That year, his 17-year-old sister was diagnosed with leukemia, and needed a very expensive bone marrow transplant. Goleta was a small community back then, and there were fundraisers for her and her family for several months. Every day the Goleta Valley Sun would report on how she was doing. I remember going door to door with a collection can for her.

Turned out the best match for her transplant was Kevin. This kid, only 13 years old, adored his sister, and both went into the hospital.

The transplant was a success, and his sister finally came home.

And then she died.

It was horrible. The hard part was over, everyone thought, but she got an infection, her body couldn't fight it, and she died.

It was very public. I didn't officially meet Kevin until two years later, but I knew all about this very private sorrow. You'd think this would set him up for a difficult life, but no matter how much crap the world has thrown at him, he still handles it all.

At first, I idolized him. He was cute, and funny, and always friendly to everyone. I never saw him treat anyone with the contempt or ridicule that so many teenage boys are full of.

Out of all the friends I had in high school, I don't think I would have guessed that he and I would have stayed so close. He was still popular, the student body president, knew everyone, and well, I was in the choir. I had a mad crush on him, asked him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and we had a pretty miserable time. Poor guy. He didn't want to hurt my feelings by saying no, but oh boy, was it a stilted, awkward couple of hours or what?

Anyway, it took many years before I realized that he enjoyed my friendship as much as I enjoyed his. You know how we put people on pedestals? We think they are so wonderful and amazing, but don't believe they are our equals? That's how I thought of him for a long time.

I don't know when I realized that he appreciated my friendship as much as I appreciated his.

Maybe Christmastime, my junior/his senior year in college.

He and Jennifer (remember the mean but funny girl from school whom I just recently saw? And posted about?) had had a "thing" for a few years. Neither one would take the chance to get serious, and neither one really got serious with anyone else. Kevin went to Colorado for his degree, and Jennifer went off to San Diego her junior year. They saw each other over holidays, and during the summer, wrote a letter or two, but that was it. This was before instant messaging, and e-mails and cheap phone calls.

When I got back from my lifeguarding gig at Camp Pilgrim Pines that summer before school started again, Kevin had already left to go back to Colorado. Jennifer and I got together a few times before she left too. She told me she had met someone "special" when she had gone down for the transfer student orientation a few weeks earlier at San Diego State. I asked about Kevin, and she said, "Oh, you know, he and I are just friends. I know we have our history, but we're cool."

And then off she went.

Kevin and I talked on the phone not long afterwards. He asked about my romantic adventures of the summer, and I asked about his.

"Becky, Jennifer and I got so close this summer, you wouldn't believe it."

(He was right.)

"She really opened up to me, and I think it's serious."

"Oh, you know Jennifer... don't count your chickens... you know how she is."

"No Becky, you weren't here. You didn't see how we were together. It's different now."

"Gosh. That's great. Have you talked to her lately?"

"You know how she is. It doesn't matter. It's going to work out."

Crap. I didn't know what to do. I mean, I didn't know how serious they got, but according to Jennifer, she had met someone special after a week at school. I couldn't say anything to Kevin about it yet. I didn't know what was up yet.

Phone call to Jennifer:

"Becky, this guy Travis is perfect. He's not like anyone else I've ever known. I think he's the one."

"Have you talked to Kevin yet?"

"You know how he is. We were never going to get serious. He and I both know that."


Basically repeat these two phone calls about three times before Winter break. All of a sudden, I was in the middle of something I wanted no part of.

If I told Kevin what I knew, Jennifer would be pissed at me. I kept telling her to call him, but didn't let on how serious he was feeling because I didn't think it was my place. I also knew that if Kevin found out I knew that she was seeing another man, and I didn't tell Kevin, he would be pissed at me.

There was no winning this. And I personally had done nothing wrong!


(This is getting rather long. I'll leave you there to await the major finale to this drama. Oo.. it was a biggie.)