Where Are You Now?

Laura is my friend from junior high. We haven't spoken for 23 years. Her family moved back to Missouri when we were fourteen. Although we wrote often and I visited when I was 18, our lives took different paths.

When we were in junior high we were inseparable. Laura was the the eldest of four and I didn't fully realize how desperately poor they were. They returned to Missouri due to finances and when I visited, their circumstances hadn't improved. In fact, I think they worsened.

The last I heard from Laura, she was joining the Navy. I was relieved for her as finally, she wouldn't have to worry about food, shelter, clothing, anything.

I was newly married to Michael and soon immersed in a momentary nightmare. By the time I resurfaced I couldn't track her down.

I thought of her often, mostly wondering how her life turned out. I wondered how her family was doing as well. Are her parents still alive? How are her siblings?

I searched on the interwebs off and on. Classmates.com, Facebook, Google searches, telephone directories. Nothing came up. Finally, I did find some information but it was one of those sketchy pay us a monthly fee and we'll give you everything you want to know sites. It appears that they are still in Missouri, or at least some of them are.

I gave up. I couldn't find an address or a telephone number. Keepsakes are buried deep and I am not sure if there is any contact information left in the box anyway. It is so not worth digging through boxes when confidence is so low.

Until I was at work the other day. I had to look up an address for work on SuperPages.com. As I went to close out of the site, I tried one last time.

And got an address.

Holy sh*t.

Now I am going to find the perfect card and think of the perfect words. I am going to send it and hold my breath that she responds.