Googling Old Friends=Timewarped?

Image: © 20th Century Fox

Sometimes, when I’m in the “Every Five Minute an Interruption” mode, I do a variety of things to make me look busy, but not actually something that I’d be upset about if interrupted. I look at houses on Zillow in small, quaint towns that I will run away to when I am financially independent enough to leave my job. I find books to buy for the library (kinda actually my job, but still easily interruptible). I look at pictures and stories on Instagram. I stalk my best friend from middle school.

I recently finished a great stalking effort of "J," who I hung out with pretty much every day from 6^th to 8^th grade. We were both in orchestra, then, when the cool band director was hired our 8^th grade year, we switched to band. She played the trumpet, I the flute. We ditched the 8^th grade dance to go with a few other friends to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We promised to keep track of each other when she moved to another school district. We did for a while, even attending the same church back in the day when I actually went to church. We had a falling out over a guy who was way too old for her thirteen year-old self to be hanging out with. He was nineteen and a former friend of my cousin--who told stories about this guy that would make any mama (or best friend) concerned for girls involved with him. I warned her it was a bad idea. I guess she didn’t like that. We lost track of each other.

Fast forward to the age of the Internet. She was one of the first people I tried to track down when I realized that it was actually possible to track people down. After several months, I found her, at least, I found her email address. I sent off an email. I got a response. She was married, but no kids. We chatted back and forth a few times until eventually I didn’t get a reply.

Finally, a few years ago, I found her completely by accident. I was looking up some random computer question and it landed me on her professional blog. She seems to be doing well for herself. She has divorced and remarried-- to the guy I warned her not to hang out with and mother to a few children with him. She has a personal blog. I read her personal blog. I tried friending her on Facebook once, but she never accepted it. That was probably because I warned her not to hang out with the guy she ended up eventually marrying.

I truly believe that if we were to reconnect, we would be friends again. We have so many commonalities, it almost seems impossible for us not to. I actually think sometimes, out of all the friendships that have come and gone for me, the lost of "J" was the one that I miss most dearly.