Love Will Never, Ever be Lost

   on me, no not tonight
      I said love will never, ever be lost on me.

Ro was in town again this week, so on Wednesday I went to Cathie’s party at her place. It was even better than last year’s, hard to say why. But I’m the nostalgic type; I like reunions and seeing things come full circle. Mikey’s brother Scott was there too, and there’s just something about people I remember as a kid. Even though he’s all grown up now and just a riot to talk to, I’ll always think of him fondly as that wild little boy with missing baby teeth and everything. Three years younger seemed like a lot back then, but not anymore.

He laughed as he read aloud a text he just sent to a friend. “I’m getting drunk with my grade nine teachers, what are you doing?” His friend replied, how does that even happen? It reminded me yet again how big and disconnected this city can be.

Teacher’s pet, they said. Suck-up. I adored my teachers in school (save for a couple, but even some of those I warmed up to). I couldn’t understand the kids that viewed their teachers as enemies and didn’t give them a chance. I assume now that it probably had something to do with past experiences with adults. My childhood experiences with adults were positive nearly across the board. I saw grown-ups as people who would listen and not make fun of you. Not all kids have reason to believe that. Not all kids can trust that their teachers just want help. Not all kids have teachers that just want to help.

I wasn’t trying to get better marks or butter them up. I just liked them.

Cathie and Ro do stand out, of course, as some of the most influential figures in my life in junior high. Whether or not she knows it, I think Ro has a gift for drawing out the shy people. Josh showed everyone his tattoo that night and no one needed to say a word to convince him. It totally caught me off-guard, I didn’t think he would ever do that! Ro has that effect though; I should have known. I’d probably laugh now to see myself on that first day of drama class, eleven years old. She taught me over and over not to be so scared. That I could take a chance and the world might not end. That fear should stop me never. And Cathie, well, I’d be curious to see my life now if she didn’t pay attention to me like she did. It sounds lame, but her assertions that I should keep writing, and that she thought I could do anything… they meant something.

Standing there with Scott and Dean, Ro told us we were children of her heart. Hours later, Cathie walked Josh and I to the door. How often in this life do you have an adult, who isn’t your family, kiss your face and hug you tightly, saying, “I love you. I love you.”

It’s rare. Culturally, it’s strange enough to communicate with your grade school teachers once you’re no longer in their charge. But mentorship makes a difference, I can say that for sure. How very, very fortunate we children of the heart are. I’m going to try and make them really proud one day.