I am privileged to have heard thousands of senior stories in the my youngish years, each story exhilarating in its own way, but never before had my jaw dropped as wide open as it did when I heard Caitlin read this story out loud for Joe. Madi, who has grown up with us since she was 15 and visits every week every summer break, was sitting at the opposite side of the room and she looked like a mirror image of me. We just looked at each other and mouthed omg, omg through the entire story, unable to contain our happiness for Joe. Needless to say, the split second after Caitlin finished, the crowd went wild. At the end of class, when the transportation staff came to walk Joe to the van, Norman slipped out and said, "Hey, Congratulations!" I just happened to be at the classroom door and heard him. All of it, the speechless, wild, classy cheers, are the soundtracks that I will keep alongside this better-than-Hollywood story.
Joe Garrison
6.20.2013
Vera
It’s been a long time, it seems like it’s been a while since I wrote about how lonely and depressed I’ve been five years ago. But for six months, I’ve been secretly romancing a young lady by the name of Vera. A friend of mine introduced her to me, and I’m glad she did. She was looking for someone to take care of her. She’s really serious about wanting to be someone’s wife. And, I’m all for that, we both have the same goal. We’re hoping to get married by early next year, and we really just enjoy being with each other.
She’s made me realize that a person can still be happy no matter how much they’ve been through, and I really believe that regardless of a person’s age, love can still happen. I feel as if I’m proving that today. I feel like I’m on top of the world with Vera. I’ll never forget about Deborah. It took me a while to heal from her death but recently I realized that Deborah was, and Vera is. I don’t make any comparisons. They’re two completely different people. Deborah was yesterday, and Vera is today, and I think Deborah would want me to be happy with her. She fills the void in my life, and she looks out for my best interests, and she’s a very loving and affectionate person. That’s what I’ve needed for a long time. It’s great to feel as if you really have something to look forward to, even in everyday life, to have someone that fills the empty spaces.
Deborah, I hope you’re having a great time up there, and I hope you’ve found someone who makes you feel as wonderful as I did with you.
