Dear Ex-Best Friend

Dear ex-best friend,

What happened between us? We were friends since we were around two-years-old when we went to the same daycare. Our mothers came together and they became best friends as well. The only difference between them and us is that they still talk to each other and do things together, while we are in the same room sitting in awkward and uncomfortable silence not speaking to one another. Yeah, my family moved to a different town, but that didn't stop you from visiting on a regular basis. You would still find the time to have talks while we would drive around town to tell you what was on my mind and you to tell me what was on yours. We would still spend the night at each others houses wishing to be older. So what changed? Fast forward to teenage years, the difficult years. We would still see each other and visit, but now these visits were starting to get a little more distance between them. I didn't mind, neither did you. We were starting to get past the "best friends" point and to the "sisters" point. We would decide to plan parties together and get in trouble for it the next day. We were rebelling together. But all that stopped for a while, when I started to date someone who promised me the world. But in time, we would see the lies behind his promises. It got to the point where any place was better than a place with him around. That is why when I was invited to your sisters wedding, I was super excited to see you again. I was so ready to rekindle that lasting friendship, and it did happen. We were at the reception getting buzzed, I had a ring on that my boyfriend, at the time, gave to me. I accidentally let it slip down the drain, and I started to freak out and panic at the thought of my boyfriend losing his temper. But what did you do? You stood up for me! You told me that if we couldn't get the ring back to put the blame on you. Tell him that it was you who accidentally lost the ring instead of me. Why did you do this? Because you saw how scared I was and you took action! To this day, I am still very grateful that you did that! But things started to change when I broke up with that boyfriend and got a new one, your brother. Now, you're probably thinking, wow, what a dirty woman to do that. But let me tell you in all honesty, I never thought I would fall in love with him. But it happened. I was starting to get treated like the woman that I was, respected, loved and cared for. You seemed to be fine with it, and I respected your boundaries. We eventually had a kid together, and you were excited to be an aunt. You would visit me and work and rub my belly and talk to the little baby boy inside me. You even met him after he was born, I though you were in love with him. But now that is all a distant memory of what we were, because now things are so very different. I don't know why you stopped calling or texting me. I don't know why when you see me, your brother or your nephew, you're not that excited anymore. I really do hope that one day we can become friends again.

It is said that if a friendship lasts for more than seven years, it is one for a lifetime. We had been friends for 17 years, so hopefully that's true or maybe in certain circumstances that doesn't apply. I thought that going from sisters to sisters-in-law would be better, that we would grow closer together. But now, I feel that we are just strangers sitting in a room together, not speaking, texting, nothing.