It all started with a Kindergarten teacher. Not just any teacher, my mom. My mother was a Kindergarten teacher at Hammick Elementary. She did not want me to be in her class for Kindergarten so she sent me to Olson Elementary (same district, different school). Shortly before I was to change schools and move into first grade my mother, the Kindergarten teacher, had me visit her at school and introduced me to "the girls". She told me these were my friends. And that is where we began....
You see, the girls were Elle, Colbie, and Liz. My mother introduced me to them because she enjoyed them so much and wanted me to be friends with the "right" kids. It worked. We were tight. And they introduced me to Kyla and Abby, who attended their church, and joined our school in 4th grade. Little did I know that in a few years I would be introducing them to someone I attended Kindergarten with at Olson (Carly).
The girls and I grew and changed together. We were the best of friends and the worst of enemies. In high school we went through times that we barely spoke because we were in such different spots. Some of us were popular, and some of us were not. Some of us had boyfriends, and some of us did not. Some of us moved away, and some of us stayed in the exact same spot. Some of us lost sight of who we were, and some of us never did... We all grew and we all changed.
College came... and went. That friend that I knew from Kindergarten, Carly, became very important to me. We were roomies in college. Then another old friend , Kyla, joined us in college. Old friendships were restored and I introduced Carly into the "group" of "the girls".
Then the marriages and having babies started. Now we are grown women, in our 30's, sharing our lives and secrets with one another, helping each other through the heartaches, joys, and changes that life throws at us. And even though 20+ years have passed, when it comes down to it, we are still "the girls".
And I thank my mom for bringing the girls into my life.
-Emily
Disclaimer: In order to protect the privacy of our friends and families, and allow us the freedom to share with you our true thoughts and feelings without getting fired from our jobs, or causing too many people to hate us, we have changed our names and the locations of our stories. Everything else is pretty much true.
