you are all chapters in my book

they say the third time is a charm.

Long-lost friend #1

I saw that photo of you today and it reminded me of why I thought you were so interesting. So solemn, yet with a sense of humor so parallel to mine. It's funny how we talked about the way we felt on one of your last nights in town. Everyone else in the room was just sitting by, having their own important discussions on whatever it is they thought was worth a breath or two. We both laughed about it. It's not like it wasn't obvious the entire time. We laughed about the time we sat under the stairs club house style. I felt like I was 9 years old again and I won't lie, I miss the feeling. We played frisbee in the alley way and we didn't have to wear jackets. We played frisbee quite a bit, before I started working so much. I can't remember the name of the girl that was with us, but i remember being surprised at her generosity. We walked out on the pier and that guy was doing yoga so close to us. We smoked weed anyways. I remember thinking in my head that this was the exact reason I came to this city in the first place. I needed to find good friends to share beautiful experiences with. I looked at the cityscape and I couldn't believe I was really there. The first time we hung out, you bought my beers. I thought your last name was something other than what it was. I feel so guilty because I only knew you for such a short time. You've been one of the people I think of most when I think of Chicago.

Long-lost friend #2

I miss smoking bowls with you after work. I hate that you have fallen off the face of the Earth. I remember when I first started that job, you would come back to the fitting room and talk to me for as long as you could get away with. The day you came into hair fairies with Drennen, we made plans to smoke because we both got off at the same time. We ended up walking to Oz Park and sitting on top of the only hill in the park. We watched a man with long red hair, jog up and down the park with no shirt on. He was as pale as a sheet of paper and we were both laughing so hard we were crying. Then we saw those kids chasing after their miniature dogs. There was an older man standing just a few yards away from us and you looked at him so sincerely. I saw your smile slowly slip off your face and I didn't really know what to say. I was still trying to sort out what you were feeling when you said aloud, "He probably misses his family." It was that exact moment that I knew why I felt like I understood you. We are both better at feeling other people's emotions better than we are at feeling our own. That man was doing nothing more than watching kids play with their dogs and we both thought of the sadness that only we could see in his eyes. You're a Pisces too. You used to give me rides home from work a lot. We would smoke out of an apple if we didn't have the proper equipment. The night that your car wouldn't start too. I really can't believe you don't talk to me anymore.

I hate that I've been lumped into that group. After that happened between you and her, you stopped coming around completely. We used to ride up and down the waterfront on our bikes, taking breaks to smoke on the rocks. You said something about the lake being so misleading. When you're there you felt like you could be anywhere and then you have to come back to the painful realization that it's just not fathomable. You would always take my thoughts straight from my head and say them to me. It would help me to put things into focus. I don't feel bad about not going back to Columbia because of you. I remember hearing your phone conversation with your sister about your parents christmas gift. Your brave honesty was another thing that always made me respect you. You weren't really ever ashamed. You were and still are one of the most down to earth people I know. I just hate that you never call. I know you're back with your old girlfriend and that's great! I just know how controlling she used to be and I feel like that's the reason we will never see you. I hope you move to New York though, or Florida.. I know you've talked about both places quite a bit.