in the beginning

Sara Rose. Hers was a lovely and poetic name. She was the first girl who really struck my fancy. Alex once described her thus: “[She] was cute, with short, reddish hair that seemed to have been colored. She wore trendy glasses, dressed casually colorful and looked comfortable and serene. She had a peachy complexion and a hesitant smile..."

For a short time she worked one cubicle away from me in a busy office. I would pass her on my way to the break room, and sometimes I would walk that route hoping I would see her there. She usually only worked there a couple of days a week. She asked for help with a Word document once, and another time had some trouble with the copy machine, and on both occasions I was happy to assist. We struck up brief conversations. She told me later that I was the only one in that office who bothered to befriend her.

But all my confidence seemed to crumble around her. Her presence made me miserable. Perhaps because I wanted so badly to be accepted by her and she just didn’t seem interested. Hers was the first friendship of that nature that I pursued. I was relentless and determined, and in the end, it paid off.

I moved with her to New York City that next fall.