Not Jane, just for a change! lol

Jane is one of my longest-standing besties, for sure, but I was rummaging through some old photos yesterday and came up with this:

A Bestie of Long Standing

This is Kathie Hart. We went to Iroquois High School together. She, Beth Moore as was, and I used to pass notes in the hall. But not just ANY notes. We used to write multiple point-of-view serial group fanfic. We would choose a television show with enough males to go around and then let ‘er rip! They weren’t JUST romances, although it wasn’t unheard of for there to be some mushy stuff thrown in; these were STORIES compatible with the types of stories run on the actual shows — or, sometimes, change-of-pace humor episodes.

Star Trek was very big with us (The Old Show, I’m forced to admit by these gray hairs on my head). High Chaparral. Here Come The Brides. It was a blast, and good training for a writer-to-be. Thanks, Kathie!

Other things to thank Kathie for: Introducing me to West Side Story. Introducing me to Sesame Street. Sharing my love of The Beatles and The Marx Brothers. Sharing my love of Bobby Farmer and his dreamy plaid pants. Making me laugh until I cried more times than I can count. Sharing stories of your teaching adventures. Trading stick-figure Kong jokes at the bottoms of our letters. Re-connecting with me on Facebook after we’d been out of touch for far too long.

Missed you, girl! Glad to have you back, discovering every day so many shows and performers and experiences we each fell in love with while we were apart.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Two high-school friends meet again after many years apart.

MA