My Guy-Friend, Steve

Girlfriends are great. Really great. A friendship with a woman can offer so much. Shopping trips. Long talks. Great advice from shoes to life decisions. Dish. Hobbies like scrapbooking and pottery. Did I say shopping? Without my girlfriends, I would be lost.

However, I know that I am one of the lucky ones. I have a guy-friend. After almost ten years of friendship, almost nine years of marriage between us (not to each other), and one state separating us, my friend Steve and I are still great friends.

It was a fluke, really. I met Steve on the very first night of college. It started out horribly. It was one of those hidious mixers that force freshman to interact with the opposite sex. My dorm wing was matched up with a male dorm wing and we HAD to walk to the dance together. UGH. Fortunately, I knew many people from high school and kept my eye out for them at the dance. I spied a classmate of mine and a group of people. My classmate introduced me to Steve, his new roommate. Being a lifelong North Dakotan, I was facinated with a person who would leave Boston, Mass. to venture to the great, white north that is UND.

I am sure that Steve was overwhelmed with my friends. We did kind of force our friendship on him. Whenever we went to dinner, we'd call our new friend Steve. Whenever we went to the computer lab, we'd call our new friend Steve. Sometimes, he'd answer the phone and pretend that he had no idea who we were, but we did not take a hint. Luckily, we won him over.

So, college continued. We graduated and made a promise that if we were ever in the same town, we'd call each other and try to get together. I have stuck to that promise and even if we can't get together, I call him as I drive through Minneapolis. We chat about every other week. I will be visiting him this weekend and I couldn't be happier.

I am always so pleased when Steve calls. I enjoy our talks and the perspective that he gives me. Like most friendships, I feel rejuvenated after a conversation with Steve.

What it comes down to is that I am glad that I forced my friendship on Steve. I am glad that when I call, Steve now knows who I am. I am glad that he finally accepted the inevitable...that Sara can make a pretty good friend.