Testaments

I lived with Amy my sophomore year of college in a dorm with two other girls. Amy was the lively one--going out every night to party or meet guys while the three of us stayed home and had friends over. Sure, we socialized, but not like Amy. She had long, wild brown hair and wore clothes that were typically one size too small. But somehow she pulled them off. And although we were complete opposites, we got along quite well. I started to confide in her rather than the other two, whom I had known longer. Amy tried to bring out in me the screaming girl that I repressed.

Her crazy nights ended spring semester when she met Keith. Living four floors up, he was roommates with a friend of mine, Abel. Keith was the musician. Playing bass guitar and having more piercings than the four of us girls, he was dangerous and enticing. Amy fell for him instantly and not long after they started dating. I never minded him being around either; he became a friend. The three of us would drive to Georgia, which was half an hour away from Tallahassee, with no destination in mind, just to pass the time. And I didn't mind the fact that Amy spent most of her time with him rather than me because, thanks to Amy, I started to live my life as well.

One day, while doing homework in our bedroom, I heard a loud slam in the main room of our dorm. I ran outside and saw Amy standing there, back against the door, frozen. She was between tears and shock and I instantly ran to her side. Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she told me what happened.

"Keith and I broke up," she said, between large intakes of air.
"What? Why?" I asked, begging for information. Amy was a rock, she was solid; seeing her so distressed upset me.
"He doesn't want to commit. I hate him." She was hard to understand, between her southern accent and cries.
"How'd it happen?" This is when she stopped crying and looked at me.
"I...walked into his room. He was sitting there with his guitar. He looked up at me and said the obvious 'we need to talk.' I sat down next to him and he said....'how about a high five for friendship?'"

With all of the strength in me I stopped myself from laughing. At least for a moment.

We never let Keith live it down. Although he and Amy shortly got back together, the phrase "high five for friendship" is still used today. Of all ways to break up with a girl, it's not necessarily the most smooth. It is, however, the most amusing.

~
I'm currently reading Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, a book of essays by famous comedians and writers, edited by Ben Karlin. The stories, written by greats such as Nick Hornby, Stephen Colbert, and Patton Oswalt, are a mixture of tender lessons and hilarious anecdotes (check out a great review here). The thing that drew me to it, though, is that it's relatable. Maybe not every story, especially not Dan Savage's, but the idea of being dumped and maybe, just maybe learning something from it happens to everyone. With that, I had an idea.

I want to create my own collection of stories. From funny to sad, from crazy to heartwarming, I want them all. And instead of being told by famous writers and comedians, I want them told by every day twenty-somethings. Which is where you all come in.

I'm starting a project called "Testaments" which will be hosted on this blog. If you're interested in contributing a blog post/short essay, please let me know! The more contributers, the better. This can't be done alone, so feel free to tell your friends. After collecting the names of those interested, I'll assign everyone a week to get their story to me by. Each week I'll publish one here. Sound fun? I sure hope so.

I just figure we've all been through it. We've all been there. Why not learn from one another or, at least, laugh at an silly story? Let's hear about your "high five for friendship" moments!