Friendship means a grat deal to me. It means
being able to say "I love you" to be able to joke, to spend time together
and to know when you are needed (and sometimes knowing when you are not
wanted).
I met my best friend in 1991. Her name
is Stephanie.
We had both returned to school to complete Year
12 ( well actually for Stephi it as Year 13 and I was doing Year 14).
Stephi had done Year 12 the year before and was
doing it again to improve her score to get into University. I had
completed it in 1989 and was doing it again for the same reason.
I knew Stephi from my work at the Port Augusta
Public Library. She used to come in with her Dad. They used
to get armfuls, and I mean armfuls of romance novels. I always assumed
that they were for Stephi and her Mum. I have since found out that
her Dad reads them. LOL.
When I got to school in 1991 the only person
I knew (and not very well) was Stephi. Actually I knew a lot of the
people at the school. I had been at school with their older brothers
and sisters. We hit it off quite well. We came friends almost
immediately. I put it down to the fact that we are both as wierd
as each other. ;-)
Now as backward as Port Augusta (referred to
from now as Port Yuck) is it was the first town in Australia, and possibily
in the world, to have a Combined Campus. The three High Schools in
the town had combined their Senior (Year 12) classes to increase the options
available to students.
Stephi and I were based at Port Augusta High
School. The school that we had done the rest of our education at.
Now I must say that Stephi had lead a very restricted
life (read her journal and you will not think so) she was still very naive.
Many due to the fact she had spent most of her life wondering when her
Mum was going to die. Her Mum had spent a lot of time in hospital
and Stephi had spent a lot of time helping her parents.
Stephi's Mum (hello Chris) thought that I was
a bad influence on her 17 year old daughter (I was 23) She also thought
that I wanted to rush Stephi off to my bedroom and well you know.
ROFLMAO lots. Honesty she did.
Now this is very funny as I am gay. Stephi
tried many times (as have I) to convince her Mum of this. Her Mum
gave up nagging her (but not believing her) when Stephi asked if she wanted
photos to prove it. That shut her up. Of course it made me
laugh. Bit hard to get photos without a boyfriend.
Well we finished (and passed) school and then
waited for our results. We finish in November and dont get the results
until the middle of January. Long wait.
Well Stephi beat me at school (except in physics)
and was accepted into Uni. I missed out.
I scored 58/100. A pass for Year 12 but
not enough to get into Uni. The minimum school needed was 59.
58 was the only score I did not want. I would have preferred 57.
One point. I sat there for 30 minutes looking at my results just
saying 58 over and over again.
Well I wasnt going to Uni and staying in Port
Yuck unemployed was not something I wanted to do again. So I left.
However I nearly stayed. Just to be close
to Stephi. Up until the night I got on the bus (and until I left
town) I wanted to stay. How dumb, stay in Port Yuck and then Stephi
would leave anyway and go to Uni. I realised this, and that is why
I left.
I moved to Kununurra in Western Australia (3500
Kilometres away)
We keep in touch by letter.
Funny leters.
We used to write letters the way we would talk
to each other. ie, we would write something and then comment on what
the other person would think. It was great. Although reading
the letters walking home from work got me some very strange looks.
I am sure people thought that I was weird, walking along laughing as I
read this letter.
We had some interesting letters and I started
reading them to Mum so she got to know Stephi as well. Well then
Stephi started writing things like "No not like that Kay (my Mum)"
Many letters delt with Stephi in the United Sickos
Asylum (well actaully the Uni of SA) They were very funny.
One of my letters to her was writen while I watched
the Adelaide Crows VS West Coast Eagles football game. I gave Stephi
a running comentary on the game. She was greatful, she had not been
able to watch it.
We progressed from writing letters to typing
letters. we used to send a computer disk to each other and we would
read letters on it. That lasted for a while, until Stephi's computer
died. We couldn't write to each other. She didnt have a computer.
Mum said "Try using a pen and paper" It hadnt accured to me.
When she first moved to Adelaide Stephi was living
with family, her Aunty. I had given Stephi a picture off of the Men
of Rugby Calender and her Aunty asked if it was me. How egotistical
did she think I was. Stephi's reply, "If he looked like that I would
try to convert him" We pissed ourselves laughing over that one many
times since.
No body that Stephi knew would believe I was
gay.
There were times with I thought I wasn't.
I thought I was in love with Stephi, I even proposed a couple of times.
She even said no once to the wrong question and we ended up engaged.
LOL I love double negatives.
I realised that I was just missing her and we
had a good laugh at it all.
Well nobody else stopped believing it.
Especially with the presents I used to send her.
For her 18 birthday I sent her 9 diamonds.
A set of 8 and a single diamond, 1 and 8 for 18. She didnt get it.
(Note to Stephi, DO SOMETHING WITH THEM DIAMONDS)
Gee didn't that cause a stir. "When is
the wedding" "Getting engaged soon" Oh poor people.
When I left Kununurra and moved to Adelaide (ok
so technically back to Port Yuck) I moved in with Stephi. By then
she was living by herself in a unit her Mum and Dad had bought. We
already knew we lived well together. I had spent a month at her place
on holidays and we got on well. I love U2 because of those four weeks.
It was the only music she would listen to. You learn to like something
after listening to it non-stop.
Due to space restrictions I moved into my own
unit and we used to spend as much time at her place as we did at mine.
She was still at Uni and I was working a full
time job earning lots of money and we used to enjoy spending it all.
Very embrassing when the lady at the chinese take-away shop knows your
voice on the phone. Even worse when she knows you get it delivered
to two different addresses and askes which one who want it sent to.
Stephi then dropped out of Uni. (She her
poetry page for details on that one) Personally I think it is the
best she ever did when it came to study. Actually it was probably
the only thing she ever did when it came to study. :-P
She was unemployed for awhile and then applied
for a job through the CES (See my Wawwen for more details
on the CES) Well the arrogant people that they are ( I have proof
about that, I have been called it a couple of times by clients) were upset
when she lodged the application late and said "Well we will pass it on
to the employer but it is up to them to look at it"
The employer interview in order of preference
based on what he though of the people's resume. Stephi had the first
interview. The employer told her "You're everything I have dreamed
of" and told her she had the job but he needed to interview the others
just in case. Oh what a laugh. The mighty CES had got it wrong
again. I wont even mention what else they did wrong.
She got the job and started a 12 month traineeship.
A traineeship does not guarantee employment after 12 months but she is
still there and has just recieved a pay rise. Well done Stephi.
I am proud of you.
Her employer is Waltan Australia and click here
to see their website designed by Stephi.
Whilst she was unemployed we moved into a house
together and had fun living together again. Not that it seemed like
we had ever stopped
Stephi could only afford to live with me in the
house as I was earning a good wage and was willing to pay for most things.
However once she started working we were rolling in money. Even with
take-away food every day.
I moved out.
Yes I moved out. I left her to fend for
herself. On a traineeship wage (about $333 a week) and all.
Why.
I met my boyfriend. It was great.
Actually Stephi tells me it was sickening but she is just jealous.
I keep paying rent at Stephi's place until she
finished her traineeship, about 5-6 months I think.
What are friends for. I couldn't just leave
her there by herself could I. It would not be fair.
Well I have moved again (into a house I have
bought) and Stephi visits every second weekend.
Why???
Because she has to. LOL
We pay her rent for her. She works in an
area where there is no bank and her rent gets paid into the bank.
We (being the nice people that we are, well actually my darling hubbie,
hello Lance) pay her rent every fortnight. The one thing we have
done, to make her more responsible, is to make her bring the rent down
when it is due.
Stephi has helped me design my web page, created
graphics for me and generally told me how good it is. Thanks Darling.
I love you lots.
Now for a bit she will hate.
She is wonderful. Gorgeous. Sexy.
Funny. Smart.
However she lacks one thing.
A partner.
Please email her and ask her out.
But remember. I will be watching you and
I must approve of you :)
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