True Love Waits

Once upon a time, a girl and a boy went ring shopping in the bridal department of WalMart.

Now, this story doesn't go the way some may think. The girl was in a commited relationship with another boy, and although no one fully knew it yet, the boy was ogling boys himself.

And although this ring was not a sign of commitment in the martimonial fashion, it was a sign of commitment, love, and truth.

The girl placed her plastic card on the glass counter and slipped the titanium wedding band on the boy's thumb ring, and they commited themselves as non-sexual life partners.

It has been a while since that boy and girl traveled to WalMart. And they did stick together through thick and thin, including (the total hypothetical situations of) raod trips, mental breakdowns, many many car problems, and dramatic fights and arguments.

Through the last six months, however, things have changed. The once a day hangouts became once a month hangouts. The girl got into a very serious relationship. The boy became more comfortable with himself and others and blossomed into a social butterfly. Both of their priorities changed, despite the fact that they still cared about each other very much.

And now, I realize that my Corey is going to University of Tennessee in Chattanooga in a few weeks. I regret our drifting apart more than ever as I realize we won't be as readily available to each other as we are used to. I have ignored it for most of the summer. However, the last week has been what we consider our last hurrah and it makes me more and more sad.

That being said, this girl is going to miss that boy. She realizes they are going to only grow more and more apart as they grow up without each other. And yet, she knows that they will remain best friends despite what the future brings. Because, like what that ring meant years ago, she still puts her faith in the love and friendship they have always had for each other, and the fact that it will always prevail.