it's been almost ten years since I last heard your voice.

Last Friday, I hopped on a call with someone with whom I haven't spoken to since 2017. In that time, I would've called her my best friend. But things change, and people start to drift, and one way or another, the connection is lost. She moved to another state, and I moved to the opposite end of the country. And yet, in April of 2026, I heard her voice, loud and clear. It was somewhat garbled, as she no longer lived in that state but moved back home in the mountains. But that voice sent me careening back into memories I thought forgotten. Within a few minutes of talking, we both were brought to tears. We turned on our cameras and I was amazed at how much she's changed and also how much she stayed the person that I remember fondly. Here was my old high school best friend in the "flesh". Here was someone who changed my life in so many different ways, both big and small. We traded war stories, gossip about the goings on back at home, reminisced about our mutual friends. But most…