The graduation party was packed with people, but they didn't pay attention to anyone around them. Nick and Nancy had been best friends all their lives. Even before they were born their mothers Sheila (Nick's Mom) and Linda (Nancy's Mom) had been best friends all of their lives as well. Going even farther back than that, Nick and Nancy's grandparents had been best friends too. Nick and Nancy were born two hours apart at the same hospital on the same day. They lived next door to each other, in the same houses all of their lives, and had never been apart for more than a day or two. They shared everything growing up, from toys to watching cartoons, they grew up together always being the best of friends. They supported each other during both their parents divorces. But Nick and Nancy had just both graduated high school and were going to separate schools for college, in different time zones on separate sides of the United States. Nick was going to Yale and Nancy was going to San Diego. For the first time they would be separated. Nick and Nancy were having a very hard time with this separation, even if it was for college and making their future together brighter.
Sometime in the last year, the role of best friends had changed, right about the time they stopped being awkward teenagers and turned into young adults . At 17, they sat their moms, Sheila and Linda down together and told them they were in love. Nick's mom, Sheila, smiled and Nancy's mom, Linda, laughed. Nick's mom said, "Did you really think we didn't know that already?" Linda chuckled and whispered "It's time" into Sheila's ear.
"Time for what?" asked Nick and Nancy. Secretly, they already knew what was going to be said. Linda, Nancy's mom and Sheila, Nick's mom thought they had a bigger surprise. Linda and Sheila admitted that they were also in love and were in a relationship. Nick and Nancy laughed and Nick said "Did you really think we didn't know that already?" he quoted them word for word. They all smiled at each other and laughed.
Everyone was happy in this family. Linda and Sheila were good for each other and Nick and Nancy were just beginning to experience love for the first time. But now that they were so attached to each other, they were about to be separated for the first time. Neither one of them felt ready for this. Every time Nick and Nancy thought of not having each other right there, it got really hard to breathe. Being separated by college was going to be the first big test of their relationship.
"SMILE!!" said Linda, handing Nick and Nancy a wrapped present. Nancy's mom was armed with a camera and wanted to get some happy pictures of them. Nick unwrapped the gift, it was two brand new cell phones with the button on the side so they could talk whenever they wanted. They both just looked up and Nancy looked very sad. She was not even close to stoic, she could be read like a book just by her eyes. Nick said "Thank you, from both of us." Nancy's eyes were red from crying and Nancy's mom put the camera down and sat on the floor and held her hand. "It's going to be okay", she said. Sheila, Nick's mom sighed and she sat by all of them creating a circle and Sheila said, "This is not the end of your relationship. Not by a long shot. It's just another chapter, college- and i'm quite sure you two will make it a point to visit each other as much as possible and talk to each other as much as you can." She waited a second as if she was thinking how to carefully pick her next words. Finally she said: "We get it, your mother and I. We had never been apart either. " I'm not saying it won't be tough,but college is so important. You can't for any reason not do this, so could you at least smile for one picture?" This turned on the waterworks on for Nancy. Sheila got up with the camera and said, "maybe later", smiling as she kissed Nick and Nancy on the forehead and walked away from the beauty of young love.
Nancy started to cry. Nick put his arm around her and tears turned into sobs that continued to get louder, so Nick took her to the kitchen to relax for a bit. They needed privacy. Nancy leaned against the counter of the kitchen island and Nick handed her a tissue and asked "What's wrong?" Nancy said, "I don't want things to change" she cried. Nick looked her in the eyes, gave her a kiss and promised her he loved her and that nothing would change. "Someday, i'm going to marry you and we'll have a family and live in a beautiful house with kids running all over, happily ever after- you and me forever." He kissed her again and said "I Love you" and she smiled, stopped crying and said she loved him too.
Nancy and Nick started college as scheduled, taking care to make sure that they got to see each other every free moment they had. Every holiday, they would take turns flying to see each other. Every weekend when there were no big tests scheduled, they'd meet half way. They found the cheapest flights, spent weekends together and went back to their respective schools. They also spent many, many hours on the phone talking and dreaming about the future. Before they knew it, Nancy was done with her degree and got a job and started saving money. Her job however, was in San Diego where she had gone to school, so the traveling to see each other had to continue. Quickly she became a cornerstone of the company through hard work and dedication. She worked hard and they were very impressed with her. She was an important part of the work team.
About a year later, Nick finished his degree and got offered a very good job in Boston. Nancy was very quiet and holding back her tears as he told her that he would be accepting the job in Boston, he had to and he wanted (expected actually) her to uproot her life, move to Boston and find another job.
"I have an idea" she said, not even trying to hide how mad she was. "Why does it have to be me that moves?? WHY NOT YOU!! she yelled. Jobs are hard to come by in San Diego and I have a great one." Nick was immediately irritated, and he and Nancy had never been irritated at each other. He yelled back "WHY NOT YOU??!!" She was stunned. "Jobs are just as hard to find in ''Boston as they are in San Diego!!" he had never yelled at her before.
She picked up the keys and said nothing as she walked out the door. Nick almost went after her, but for reasons that would forever haunt him, maybe pride, he let her go. He stood there like a tough guy holding his ground. He'd call her in 24 hours, let her cool off and make her realize that they needed to go to Boston because his job was more important.
He called her the next morning as soon as he woke up,he couldn't wait any longer. Strangely, her phone went straight to Voicemail. That was odd because she always answered her phone. He went and took a shower and got dressed and tried again, straight to Voicemail. He figured she was just being stubborn so he grabbed his keys and hopped in his car to go over to her place. On the way, he spotted a flower vendor on the side of the road and thought that flowers would be a nice touch to the major apology he owed her for being such a fool last night. He had been a complete fool and on top of that, had been unkind. He had a better outlook today, they'd figure something out, they always had. Before he left the flower vendor he tried again to call her, Voicemail. Then he started driving to her place and his phone rang, it was his mom.
"Hi mom, I can't talk right now- i'm on my way to Nancy's ".
"Nick, you need to come home", she sounded a bit strange.
"Not right now mom, I have to go see Nancy, we argued last night. I have to go apologize.I was so mean to her."
"Nick, now - right now, please come home". He could tell by her voice it was important, he did a U-Turn and tried calling Nancy again, nothing. Voicemail.
He got home. As he walked in, he felt something and it hurt. He looked at his mom Sheila and just said "No." and he backed away from her as she walked towards him.Then he looked at the couch. He hadn't noticed Linda, Nancy's mom crying quietly on the couch. He backed up more and said "NO" louder. Sheila said in a low voice "yes" Nick "yes". There was an accident last night. Nancy flipped her car when she lost control of it. She passed away immediately.
He fell to his knees and dropped the flowers.This couldn't be happening. Their last words to each other were angry and mean. He was never going to get to apologize for hurting her. A lifetime of love wasted. Everything went numb and suddenly he wasn't so tough. Then everything got blurry. He was crying, sobbing - much like Nancy was when she got in the accident.