I have spent a lot of time thinking about Laura lately. It's hard to believe that I met Laura close to 20 years ago, and that in the last 15 years or so I've only seen her a couple of times. Though we haven't had a chance to be together in person, thankfully through messages and texting, we have been able to keep in touch. I have two specific memories of Laura that I would like to share, because when I think of her, these are the things that stand out the most.
One time I needed shoes. I casually mentioned to Laura that I needed to go shopping to find some, and she insisted on helping me find the perfect pair. We set out to the mall, where we met some other friends, and the hunt began. To say that Laura is more stylish than me is a huge understatement. At the shoe store I tried on more shoes than I ever had before, and ended up buying two pairs at her direction and insistence. One of those pairs is still with me, all these years later. I don't wear them anymore, they have seen better days, and aren't as stylish as they once were, but the memory of that day has always stood out to me, I think they were the first pair of adult shoes I ever really owned. Over 10 years later, I got a message from Laura where she remembered "dragging me to the mall" I'd like to think that's because I am so cool and fun to be around, but I am sure it's because I had such terrible taste in shoes, I must have seemed like a small helpless child.
The second memory that stands out to me is perhaps the most telling of Laura. She didn't know that I was in town. I was moving to Atlanta, but had to be in St Catharines to pack up what remained in my apartment there. I saw Laura walk by a window, and ran around the corner to surprise her when she came in the door. When she saw me, she had a huge smile, and started crying. Very few times in my life have I known so clearly that someone was happy to see me. We spent the next hour or so together, catching up, and during that conversation she broke some big news to me. She had started seeing someone. Someone I knew. Someone who was also my friend. Trinder. Somehow I hadn't seen it coming, but I couldn't have been happier. She beamed with joy as she told me about the new romance. We couldn't have imagined at that point all that the future would hold, but even I could tell, that her future, would be with Ryan.
Lastly, here are some messages/texts I have received from Laura over the years.
-"I can dish it, I can take it!" in regards to some trash talking.
-While discussing a potential visit in 2013 "I'm tired and Ryan is deeply involved in hockey, we will discuss further tomorrow."
-"Honestly, He's so great" in reference to Ryan when I replied to an Instagram story she had about him.
-"Help, I need to get Ryan and Batman beach towel stat"
-The last one comes from not long after Laura and Ryan got married. I sent her a message saying how happy I was for them both, and her simple reply was "I am very happy"
Truthfully, that's how I will always see Laura. With a smile on her face, in love with Ryan, proud of her family, and "very happy".