So I have this friend. I probably shouldn’t start out like that, because friend isn’t really an accurate word to describe what this person means to me. I have known her since I was a freshman in high school, and she is the person I have turned to for pretty much everything since then. She has seen me grow from an awkward, weird 13 year old to who I am now (not much has changed except the number, I know). She is a wonderful person and she inspires me to try and be a wonderful person. Her name is Kelly.

Kelly got married to a great guy named Jon a few years ago. He plays the organ. Recently, he got accepted to Notre Dame for grad school, which is awesome. However, that meant that he had to move to South Bend, Indiana, where Notre Dame is located. Which naturally meant that he took his wife with him ( though I did tell her she should just move into our spare bedroom, because I am much cuter and more charming than Jon).

But here is the thing. I miss her. It’s not like we saw each other all the time and talked on the phone for hours each day and went shopping together before she moved. She lived in Tallahassee, and I live in Lakeland. But before, I always knew that if I needed her, she was only four hours away and she would come. If I started to miss her, I could get in my car and go see her for a weekend. But now I can’t, because let’s face it, I am not going to drive to Indiana. Now it is a trip that requires planning and time off of work and plane tickets. Which sucks.

So that is why I hate South Bend. Because it is so far away and not even all that cool, but it still gets Kelly.