Bookends

We knew each other for a summer. Working in the same 6-foot space day after day is the best recipe for success, I've discovered.

We were both pleasant enough to be interested and we loved our jobs. We kept company and I learned her habits.

The conversations started about the most efficient way to stuff and seal an envelope. We exhausted that subject and moved on to databasing, answering the phones, and boyfriends.

We knew all along that she was leaving at the end of the summer. She has another job offer--an opportunity she had been waiting for her whole life.

We often talked about how bad we were at keeping in touch with people. She had a large extended family that consumed her time, I had my own independence steering me. And we always came back to our guilt surrounding those with whom we had lost touch.

I think we talked about it so much because we knew it would happen with us. And that is how it is.

I met someone recently who knew her. I asked him to tell her that I say hello.