Apparently my friend Nolong has been trying to contact me for a month or two now. I finally talked to her on Monday, the first time in about 10 years. She was pretty much my best friend for most of high school (along with Melissa, who usually manages to track me down semi-annually or so). It was weird, surreal almost. It was after Memorial feast-day at Maria's so I was stuffed and content. Paul's phone rang and he thrust it at me with a "for you" shrug. So I pick up and say hello and am treated to a hi and some giggles. I ask who it is and she says guess. I'm on a cell phone and her voice has definately altered somewhat, but the giggles give it away. Nolong...more giggles...I can't believe it...

Nolong has a strange story (well who doesn't right?, but just wait...you'll think it's strange). She is the offspring of parents who met while doing missionary work in Africa. She was actually born there and lived there a short time too. Her parents moved back and had some more kids from there..she has 5 or 6 (maybe more at this point) siblings, most of which (except Harry Jr.) also bear striking names of African origin. We met in high school, at the Las Vegas Academy for Performing and Visual Arts and International Study (heretofore referred to as LVA). It was a magnet school and so I started out only knowing a couple random kids from my own junior high who had also chosen to attend.

LVA was a strange school. No sports, and no mascot to speak of (though we did have these strange stickmen on our yearbook covers), we were to a certain extent all outcasts of one sort or another (though most would say voluntary outcasts). Nolong sang and so did I, we had choir together, which meant 2-4 periods together a day. Choir at our school was the replacement sports team for us (or Band/Dance/Musical Theater...). It sucked up our lives. I rarely ever took the early bus home (which left at a normal 3 or 4), almost always the late bus for those of us in rehearsals or doing projects or shows. Wow this is rambling...it's just Nolong was such an integral part of my high school life that it all needs explanation.

Well anyways, so let's get back to her. Her parents converted to Mormonism when she was young and all the kids were raised as Mormons. This is a little weird, there just really aren't that many black Mormons...in fact she's probably one of the first I ever met, and there's a whole lot of Mormons where I'm from. At the time we met I was also Mormon which meant we had all the more bonding time (especially since Mormon high-schoolers are expected to spend their lunches in Seminary learning the Gospels and stuff). So we talked a lot about that and our spirituality and our problems and dillemas. She, a black mormon, me a gay mormon (though at first not "out" to anybody at all), we were just meant to connect.

Well, she was a year older and graduated, leaving me to my fate. My senior year was a bit dramatic. I managed to get kicked out of HS (though I still oficially graduated). I finally "became" gay, left the church, had my first drink/smoke. Yeah, I started late but tried to hit every base. Somewhere around this time Nolong and I had a falling out. It wasn't anything overly-dramatic, but a couple comments which weren't appreciated, some others that were misunderstood, the normal stuff that 17 year olds say I spose looking back. But we just never got back to that level of friendship. And then we went to college, Nolong moved off to Utah, and that was it.

She has three kids now! Wow! Her daughter's name is Abele (a-bell-eh) I think, which is a beautiful name. She is divorced now, which came as kind of a surprise to me, with the whole Mormon thing, which she still is. She, like me, has a job that has nothing to do with her passion. What does she look like? The same? Who cares really.

She was the same old Nolong. It was weird how everything kinda snapped into place. Even though I can't remember half of what happened in high school, I still remmeber the essential her. Her weird little giggles, her directness, her ability to sense when something is unsaid. Honestly it kinda freaked me out. I mean I'm such a different person now, or at least like to think so, and it was strange how vulnerable she made me feel. Somehow I kinda feel that she can rip me up and tear me to shreds. Not that she wants to do that or has any intention too. Maybe it's just how it made me think of that time and look back at all the intervening life-decisions that I've made. I don't know...

So she says she's coming to visit me. Which is so like her. There's no, okay...ummm...maybe we'll see each other, or well, I come to visit a lot, or all the other platitudes that you could say. It was alright well I'm gonna look at flights and call you back. I was like whoa! But happy and excited and apprehensive. It's one thing to have an hour long chat and another to have a weekend. But I think it's a good thing. I truly miss her, and she played such a big role in making me, well, me.

What'dya think, is she coming?